Archbishop Stephen Cottrell and Bible scholar Dr Paula Gooder came together over Youtube to explore the true meaning of Advent and Christmas for a conversation hosted by St Paul's Cathedral.

The discussion opened with the Archbishop of York candidly sharing with online viewers what the season of Advent means to him.

"For me Advent is about not just getting ready to celebrate the birth of Christ, but getting ready for that day when we will see Christ face to face. It is about getting ready for death. It is about judgement, heaven and hell and eternal life" he said.

He continued: "I made a promise to myself six or seven years ago that in Advent I will always preach and speak, whether it is to the local infant school or St Paul's Cathedral, about death, judgement, heaven and hell and eternal life."

The conversation then turned to the importance of Jesus' humanity which is at the heart of the Christmas story and how this made a relationship between God and mankind possible.

"It is only because God has completely emptied himself of what it is to be God in order to be human that there can be any hope in the Christian faith. The hope is that in Christ, my life and all humanity finds communion with God," said the Archbishop.

At the centre of Christmas alongside Jesus is his mother Mary whose obedience to God's will is often viewed as an example for followers of Christ to emulate.

Cottrell called her the "first follower" of Jesus.

"I have always found it a very interesting thought that Mary's 'yes' to the angel at the enunciation was not inevitable. For me that is vitally important for my theological understanding of the Christian faith," he said.

He went on to express how Mary's willingness to carry Jesus within her is what made her the "model disciple". "She is able to say completely to God 'your will be done in me'. Isn't that really very simply the challenge for all of us as Christian disciples?" he asked.

He continued: "That for me is the most astonishingly beautiful part of the story of Advent and Christmas, Mary's 'yes' to God."

Dr Gooder said that although Christmas is traditionally a joyous period, there will be people who will struggle in this season as they are reminded of loved ones they have lost.

When asked what he would say to these individuals, the Archbishop suggested taking a deeper look at the story of Christmas, particularly at the predicament that Mary found herself in.

"If you did not know the Christmas story as we encounter it in scripture, but just went to a church and perhaps looked at a crib, you would be forgiven for thinking that having a baby in a stable is a lovely place. It is an unimaginably and deeply frightening place for a child to be born," he said.

He continued: "It is a story with a real dark side to it. We remember the massacre of the innocent. Herod in his brutal attempt to get rid of Jesus had many children killed."

He added that those living in difficult circumstances would be able to relate to the story in some capacity.

"It is a deeply human story and a million miles away from the cosy images that are sometimes presented to us at Christmas," he said.