with the Rev Kevin Logan, Vicar of Christ Church, Accrington. . .

HAPPINESS depends on happenings, like Beckham scoring a penalty one of these days, or maybe waking to find it's still only Thursday morning and you've just had a nightmare.

Dragging ourselves away from soccer, perhaps the happening has been a new baby in the family - and, please God, he'll be a Wayne Rooney and Ronaldo rolled into one.

Okay, so maybe two-day-old grief cannot so easily be escaped, unless, that is, you really did have a new baby.

In that happening, happiness would flush away all else -- though you would obviously name him, and even her, Wayne, and dream of carrying said offspring shoulder high when England win the World Cup in 2006.

There once was a son born who guaranteed joy, no matter what the misery of this world, bringing a joyful peace that could survive death or cancer, debt or divorce, relegation, or even outright robbery by a closet Portuguese, goal-blind referee who...No! Aaargh! I'm still in recovery.

It does help to apply my reality test to all grief.

The happening of 2,000 years ago brought the Son of God into the world, making life abundant and rich for all who supported him. Unlike the fickle god of footie, victory and promotion are guaranteed for all supporters.

So, no matter what, death, disease, daylight robbery, the coming of God's Son into our lot brings deep-down joy that nothing can dent for long - though, Lord, the World Cup on the UK mantelpiece in 2006 would look nice, wouldn't it?