It must be autumn - Downton is back!

What makes 100 million of us rush back from the pub, the allotment or wherever to lap up this period drama with its gripping story-lines and the occasional mega-gaff?

We may not all want to be the powerful Lord Crawley or his cosseted wife but Carson the butler is onto a good thing, in charge of all below. Even the kitchen-staff have their moments of glory!

I think there is something deeply human about all this: we want to do better for ourselves and our loved ones. We would all love a more spacious room or a bit of a garden or even the sight of a graceful tree occasionally so we sit in front of the telly for 60 minutes of illusion, living it!

I'm not in any way critical of this. I do it myself and so does my friend the bishop!

We do it to answer this natural urge to improve, to do better and that is a religious instinct.

The infant Jesus was among the first migrants, taken by his parents to avoid bloodshed into a foreign country where he could thrive because that's what God wants us to be - to be fully human, perfect even.

The churches have always aspired to this. They provide fellowship, generosity, love and hope.

On a Sunday they provide drama, colour and stimulation through worship where we try to imagine what heaven might be like - and on a Monday, we try hard to improve life for those who find themselves at the bottom of the pile.

Yes, life could and should be ordered differently and Christians are committed to doing just that in many different ways.

Well, we have eight episodes of Downton left, the last falling on Christmas Day - the day when God sent his best and most complete indicator of a better life - his son Jesus Christ.

From that first Christmas Day onwards, we have to look for signs of hope, support, a greater reality, friendship, love and generosity to each other, checking out the model each step of the way with the teaching of Christ.