Tuesday 24th December

Happy Christmas Eve!

Traditions.    We love them dont we?  I think nearly every family I know has its own special Christmas traditions - mostly passed down through the generations and recreated lovingly each year in homes up and down the land.  Some are held in common by all of us - leaving a carrot and a mince pie for Santa and Rudolph.  Stockings.  Christmas trees. Turkey.   Other traditions are more personal and unique to a particular family.   When I was a kid one of the best parts of Christmas was watching Dad set fire to the

Christmas pudding. ( to the brandy, not technically to the pudding itself )   Some families always go to midnight church services.  Or wait to open presents until after lunch. ( never understood how anyone can wait that long!!)   Or go for a walk on Christmas afternoon.    Lots of people will watch the Queen at 3pm.   now theres a tradition which has been going for a while.

A few years ago I decided we should start a new tradition at Christmas.  Something which would help us to remember that our family is a Christian one and that for us, Christmas is about Jesus.   So I decided that we would make a birthday cake for Jesus and sing Him happy birthday on 25th December.   This year we have a heart shaped cake.  We shall decorate it today,put a candle on it ready for Wednesday.  I hope that at some point in years to come my boys will remember this as being a special part of Christmas and will carry on the tradition in their own families.

Good traditions serve to cement people together.  To emphasise certain important values and create memories.   In this age of increasing individualism and family separation I think it is more important than ever that we make every effort to maintain those element of our family culture which give us identity and add to our sense of belonging .

Recently Ive had cause to think a bit about church traditions and the value ( or lack of value) in them.  After many many years away from a traditional denomination I now find myself becoming involved with the Anglican church again.  And it has been interesting to come back to liturgy and ceremony after years of a more liberal expression of my faith.  Ive really enjoyed some aspects of it but found others very

uncomfortable.  And Ive found myself wondering how the traditional churches can hold onto what is good in their traditions whilst continuing to be relevant in an ever changing world where means of communication are constantly developing.   We cant put new wine in old wineskins but we probably can put old wine in new wineskins.  Better minds than mine are working on ways in which to preserve the good and still make way for the new and potentially better/ more relevant.   So I offer no comment really other than to say these things have been on my mind of late

As we wait those last few hours before we can collapse into bed and know that its all done and dusted bar the eating and drinking and giving and receiving (and washing up) I hope that all you do this Christmas will be rooted and grounded in love.That your food will be lovingly cooked, your gifts gratefully received, the fun and conversation and walks and Christmas films all thoroughly enjoyed.  But above all I pray God's richest blessing into all of it.  May 2014 be a year when we all increase in awareness of Him, draw nearer to Him and learn to love Him more.   I pray that He will be close in your trials and exalted in your joys. Thanks for reading the blog this year.   Merry Christmas and lots of love xx

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO17DIeI7Ec

Monday 23rd December

Oooh even Im starting to get excited now!!!   Yesterday Ben came bounding into the bedroom first thing shouting '' Mummy it's Christmas eve's eve's eve!''  He is bursting with excitement.  Josh is tearful and grumpy with excitement.  Sam is ever so slightly annoying with excitement .  Im not sure Keith realises its Christmas yet....  but then it isn't Christmas Eve until tomorrow.   That's when it dawns on most men isn't it?   Hee hee hee.

I watched the last episode of The Bible on channel 5 last night.  Which covered the crucifixion through to Revelation and really was pretty well done.  If you didnt see it this time round Id recommend you try to catch it online or bookmark it when its repeated.  It's good to see the word of God fleshed out by actors - they bring a new interpretation to well known words and stories and make you think about things in new ways.

One of the things which really struck me about last nights episode was the love Jesus showed at every opportunity.  The director opted to have Jesus kiss Peter on the forehead when he appeared in the upper room after His resurrection.  He showed Jesus thanking Simon for carrying His cross.  And at the end Jesus appeared bodily to John on Patmos and told him that there would be no more tears or sorrow or death in His kingdom.   It was a very loving moment between Jesus and John beautifully portrayed.  I was very struck by the fact that Jesus was primarily motivated by a huge and overwhelming love for people.  For us.  For me.

Sometimes we find it hard to believe we are loved.  Life has a way of persuading us otherwise.  But if we could only catch a glimpse of the look in Jesus' eyes as He watches and waits for us...... if we could only catch the tone of His voice as He speaks to us.....  if we could only stay still long enough to feel the warmth of His breath on our faces as He leans forward to kiss us....   well, then we would know that we know that we know that we are loved.

So this Christmas why not take a moment to stop and look into the face of Jesus.  Listen to what He has to say and open up to the hug of God.  There is nothing better in the whole world than knowing the favour and love of God.  And as we know so well  God loved the world so extravagantly and passionately and wonderfully that He gave His only Son as a love letter, a message of hope, an example of Godliness, a way out, a sacrifice for sins, a gateway into the presence of God, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have life wrapped up in the love of God forever and ever  ( paraphrase mine :-) )

sunday 22nd december

Yesterday I read something about the achievements of the Pope in 2013.   It made for incredibly positive and hopeful reading.  Everything I've heard about Pope Francis since his installment or enthronement or

whatever it was, has been great.   He hasnt been afraid to speak out ( and speak sense) on the big issues, and yet he has time for the ordinary people,  posing for photographs, letting children play on the platform when he is speaking, selling his Harely Davidson for charity  .  I mean how cool to have a Pope who owns a motorbike let alone a Harley!!!  
http://distractify.com/people/reasons-why-pope-francis-is-the-person-of-the-year/

Living in Northern Ireland and being a Protestant, saying you like the Pope is a deeply controversial thing.  Unless you live here it is really hard to understand just how deep the Catholic Protestant divide goes and how much mistrust, misunderstanding and downright bigotry exists here, ingrained in the psyche of generations of Irish from North and South.  It really is reminiscent of the attitude which tolerated and promoted apartheid or justified slavery in days gone by.  That same deeply held belief in the inferiority/error/demonisation of the other.  It's sad.    It is changing, very slowly.  And I truly hope that Pope Francis, in his Christlike attitude and behaviour, will help sectarian Protestants and narrow minded Catholics to re-evaluate.   He seems to be a good and Godly man.   As does the new Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.

I absolutely love what the Archbishop did at the Metropolitan Police Carol Service

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/10525801/Gospel-according-to-the-boys-in-blue-Welby-retells-Christmas-story-as-police-drama.html

Surely in these two men we see a demonstration of what its all about.   And, as I read on a comment about the Pope article, if you like these guys - then you are going to love Jesus  :-)

The Pope and the Archbishop are just ordinary people like you and I who are taking the opportunities afforded to them by their position to be the voice and hands of Jesus in the world.  We too can be the voice and hands of Jesus.  We dont have to have an international platform, or the eyes of the world media on us - in fact it must be so much harder for them because of the scrutiny of their every move and word.......
No, we just need to take the opportunities afforded to us by OUR positions - our positions in our families, our churches, our workplaces, our schools, our towns or cities - and be the voice and hands of Jesus.   I dont think we need to go out of our way to create opportunities really.   If we are willing then God will send them along.

Lord, this Christmas as we are busy with family and friends and eating and drinking I pray that we will not miss the opportunities You send along.  Help us to be kind.  Help us to be wise in our words and generous in our attitudes.   Let us be Your voice and Your hands to our families and friends in our places of work and in our churches.  We want to be a blessing as You intend for us to be.   And for all the places in the world where sectariansim and conflict are rife may the Prince of Peace reign.   Bless the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury as they lead two major expressions of Your church on earth.   Amen

saturday 21st december

Me to Ben ( aged 8)    ' Ive got to write my Advent Blog and I cant think of what to say.  What shall I write about?'

Ben  ' Write about God's present'

Me ' Thats a good idea!  What shall I say about God's present?'

Ben ' That its the best present you could ever get in the whole world ever'

And we could pretty much leave it there I suppose.

But it got me thinking about presents.  Of which there are now copious amounts under the tree and about which the boys are getting hyper excited.  Much poking and prodding and guessing going on.  And sorting into piles.

I love presents.  Not the getting of them so much as the giving of them.  I love finding something which is just the right thing for the right person.  Something I know they will love. Or something they need and will use.  This year my Dad was looking for shoes, exactly the same as the ones he already had.  Which of course arent made any more.  So I went searching online and found the perfect pair.  Right size, right colour.  I was so chuffed.  And so was he when I sent them to him ( about three weeks ago, cos there didnt seem much point in making him wait till Christmas when he actually could be wearing them now).  And of course there will be much delight on Christmas day watching the boys open presents which I know will be just what they want.   It's fun.  Making other people happy is fun.

I wonder if that's how God feels every time He answers a prayer or gives us a gift ( spiritual or practical).   I wonder if He feels really thrilled when we are really thrilled.  Like any parent I guess He must delight to see His kids happy with what He has given them.   And lets face it He has given us so much.  Before you go to bed tonight try counting your blessings.  Bet you wont be able to list them all before you fall asleep.

Of course the best present Ben referred to was Jesus.  Nobody I know would dream of giving away their only child as a present - yet that is what God did.   He truly is a wonderful, life changing, life saving, life enhancing best present ever.   This Christmas let's not forget to say thank you.

Friday 20th December

We have arrived at that dirty time of year.

I was driving today and found myself having to constantly wash the windscreen as every vehicle in front of me threw up muck from the road and deposited it liberally across the glass.  It was lightly drizzling, just that annoying sort of not-really-proper-rain, making the roads wet enough to throw up spray.  But the sky was quite bright - and the combination of a dirty windscreen and brightness can be rather dangerous.  So the washers and wipers were in constant use.

Ive just bought my first pair of glasses.   Im wearing them now as I type.  I didnt really think I needed them, but Keith arrived home with a pair not long ago, saying that he had had his eyes tested and now needs glasses for close reading/fine print.   I tried his on.  And suddenly that tiny writing became a whole heap

clearer!!!!   My turn to indulge in some specs.


So the thought for today - if you havent worked it out already - is about seeing clearly.

We are all on a journey ( I hate that analogy - its such a cliche.  But sadly for the purposes of this illustration Im going to have to say it!)  Sometimes we are driving along in nice weather and we can enjoy the view.  More often than not we need to focus on where we are going and how to get there, on the other people on the road with us and the distractions in our vehicle.  Sometimes we are driving through bad weather.  The road throws up mud and muck which obscures our view.  Or perhaps, imperceptibly, our ability to focus has declined.  We think we are seeing everything clearly, but in fact we have lost definition.  Clarity. Acuity.

We need to be able to see clearly.  Vision is crucial - where there is no vision (revelation) the people perish ( or cast off restraint   )  (Prov 29.18)  If we cant see where we are going we are either going to drive off the road or come to a standstill.  Either way we won't reach our destination

So how do we keep our windscreens clean and our eyes focused?   Well we need the washing of water by the word

Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.…( Eph 5 ;26)

Both the written word and the ' now' word of God are a crucial factor in the cleaning process.  But its not just enough to deploy the washers, we need windscreen wipers too - to apply the water to to affected area and remove the dirt.  As I was driving today watching my windscreen wipers doing their job it occurred to me that the wipers are people - pastoral people - those who travel with us and who work for us to help us apply what God has spoken.  The input of others who are outside, looking in, impartial, who care and who can help us is vital.  We cant do this on our own.

And every now and then we need to subject our vision to an ' eye examination'.  Perhaps just check out with someone that the way we are seeing things is in focus and still in line with God's will and His word.  That the way we are going is the right way.  Once again pastoral input and wisdom from those who know us well is

so important.   We need to be accountable and open to correction.  If we need glasses then we should put them on and wear them!  If we dont, then our vision will gradually deteriorate and one day we will wake up realising that everything is a blur and we have missed out on much of the detail God wanted us to see along the way.

Jesus came 2000 years ago not only to die for us and pay the price for our selfishness, greed, pride and rottenness, but so that He could be the channel for the release of the Holy Spirit into the earth.   He is the one who imparts, maintains and sustains our vision.  As we approach a New Year let us take a while to check that the windscreen is clean and we have our glasses on.

Lord, thank you for your Holy Spirit who is ever active, working on our behalf, speaking, leading, guiding.  I pray that as we approach a new year He would have free access to all areas.  That He would increase vision, impart new vision, give direction and sharpen focus in our lives.  That we might travel safely and not miss any of the joy of the journey.  Amen

Thursday 19th December

So its the final countdown ( can you hear the background music?)   The kids are getting excited.  Presents are wrapped and already being poked at.  Christmas parties are well underway and Im doing my last stint at work today.  Schools break up tomorrow.  Even the weather has decided to get in on the act - cold and blustery although no snow as yet.

We are looking forward to next week.  We are all hoping to have a lovely time - time off work, time with family and/or friends, time to lie in and watch telly and eat too much.  We might be hoping that Santa brings us some much longed for gift or that we get to see someone we haven't seen for ages.   We are designed and created to hope for things.

The hope of the righteous brings joy  ( Prov 10:28)

Hope is a strange thing.  its not the same as being wishful.  I can wish to wake up tomorrow looking like Marilyn Monroe but it aint gonna happen.  However I can hope that by Easter I might be able to fit into that new outfit if I lose a few pounds and keep up the fitness regime.   Hope has a realistic end goal and some way of getting there.  Wishes are flim flam and fairy dust usually

  The Bible says that ' hope deferred makes the heart sick'  ( Prov 13 ;12)    in other words, if we have our eye on an achievable and reasonable goal but for some reason we are not making any progress towards it, then we get our hearts broken.  Or we get depressed.  Or we become ill.   It is important that our hopes are fulfilled - so its important that we are hoping for the right things.   And if our hearts are sick and we cant quite

work out why - maybe its because we are hoping for the ' wrong' things.  Maybe our expectations are faulty - because God is not a God of disappointment.

Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
    on those who hope in his steadfast love,  ( Ps 33:18)

You arent going to go far wrong if you believe in , trust in, hope for God's love.    Of course we only need to hope for it when we are not currently experiencing it.  When God seems distant and prayers go unanswered.  When all is opposition and difficulty and hardship.  Those are the times we need to hope in His steadfast love.  Reach out for it in full expectation.  Actively pursue it, wait for it, watch for the signs. 

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.   (1 Pet 1;13)   

Of course ultimately when all is hopeless and heaven is brass we have one promise which above all gives us hope - the  hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began ( Titus 1;2)

Advent is traditionally a time not only of looking forward to Christmas but of looking forward to the day when Jesus comes back.   To a day when we can put off this life and put on eternity.  Dont know about you but I cant wait - there's only so much housework and sock washing a body can take in a lifetime!  So lets fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith and as we approach a new year let us resolve to hope for the fulfillment of the Godly desires of our hearts.

Lord, show us where we have faulty expectations and unrealistic dreams.  Adjust our hopes to be in line with what you have planned for us and then help us to stride out towards those goals with hope in our hearts.  As we wait for you to come again let us never lose hope in your great love for us.  Amen

Wednesday 18th December

Last week was the Jewish festival of Hanukkah.   I have a friend who is very interested in Jewish festivals and she was talking about it when I visited her - which made me realise that I didnt have the first idea what it is about.

In a nutshell it is a festival to celebrate the fact that 2,500 years ago the temple in Jerusalem, which had been under Syrian control, was won back by the Jews.  They had been instructed by their Syrian overlords to worship idols and eat the flesh of pigs which had been sacrificed in the temple.   Both of which were anathema to the Jews.   So a small number of them started a rebellion which eventually resulted in the Temple being won back . Jewish troops were determined to purify  it by burning ritual oil in the Temple’s menorah for eight days. But to their dismay, they discovered that there was only one day's worth of oil left in the Temple. They lit the menorah anyway and to their surprise the small amount of oil lasted the full eight days.

This is the miracle of the Hanukkah oil that is celebrated every year when Jews light a special menorah known as a hanukkiyah for eight days. One candle is lit on the first night of Hanukkah, two on the second, and so on, until eight candles are lit.

On Saturday I was watching The Bible on channel 5 and the episode covered the story of Daniel.  He was another Jew who refused to bow to an idol at the command of a foreign oppressor.  He and his friends showed amazing courage and tenacity in refusing to compromise their faith - they faced fire and lions rather than disobey the express command of God to worship Him only.

It strikes me that in our day we are in the same position as the Macabees in 500 BC or Daniel in the days of Nebudchanezzar.  We are living in a culture which, for the most part, has overthrown God and is demanding that we worship other things.  So where are the Daniels and the Shadrachs Meshachs and Abednegos of our day - the ones who are standing up and saying no.  Who are prepared to lose it all in order to stand up for God's rule and reign?    We long to see miracles, but perhaps miracles only come in response to us being sold out for our cause.   

Christmas is a time when we refocus and remember once again to keep the first things first.  New Year is a time for reaffirming our resolve to love mercy and to do justly and to walk humbly with our God.  Lets be encouraged by the example of those who have gone before us - those who have resisted the invasion of the ungodly and have been prepared to die rather than bow down to idols or make unrighteous sacrifices.

Tuesday 17th December

Tis the season to sing carols  - hoorah.    This year, for some reason, I'm really enjoying carol singing.   I think perhaps its because I've already had a few opportunities to be leading the singing at various events - carols for the old folks at my friend Glady's home..... last Sunday in church and last night at the healing service in St Anne's.  And there is something really great about people heartily singing out together those familiar words and tunes.  People don't need songsheets... they have been singing these carols since they were children.  They know all the verses.  They know the harmonies. And it doesnt matter what your background or church experience just about everyone can join in.  

Here's a rather lovely rendition of one of my favourites.  Take 5 and enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=cZ-8jYpa1-o

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices......   a great line.  And still true today as it was in the 1850s when the carol was written.  The world is weary.  Tired of wars and politics and economic crisis.  The Christmas story brings a thrill of hope.   Hope that God has not forgotten us.  That there is an answer.  That our dead and lifeless spirits can be ignited by the passionate and powerful love of God and live in a new dimension with and by and in and for and through Him.

Lord, thank you for the truth which the hymn writers captured in the carols we sing at this time of the year.  Thank you that in supermarkets and shopping malls, on the television and radio at this time of year Your name is being sung and Your truth being proclaimed.  In this weary world may we not miss an opportunity to share the thrill of hope we have found in You. 

Monday December 16th

We were talking in church yesterday about John the Baptist.  Well, he was mentioned with reference to the Old Testament reading which was from Isaiah 35.

The desert and the parched land will be glad;
    the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom;
    it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
    the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord,
    the splendor of our God.

3 Strengthen the feeble hands,
    steady the knees that give way;
4 say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
    he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
    he will come to save you.”

5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
    and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,

    and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
    and streams in the desert.
7 The burning sand will become a pool,
    the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
    grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

8 And a highway will be there;
    it will be called the Way of Holiness;
    it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean will not journey on it;
    wicked fools will not go about on it.
9 No lion will be there,
    nor any ravenous beast;
    they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
10     and those the Lord has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
    everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

These are the verses which Jesus sent to John the Baptist when he was in prison.   John who had lived in the desert as a hermit, devout and strictly religious.  John who had preached faithfully about the coming of the Messiah and who had identified Jesus as such at the Jordan.  John who had watched his own disciples turn to follow Jesus, who had been thrown in prison and was now awaiting trial.    

' I have served God faithfully and now He is here among us.  He is part of my own family.  He has the power to release captives and set prisoners free.  His word carries authority and His hand produces miracles.   So why am I still here?  Is God going to let me rot in jail?  Why hasnt Jesus at least been to see me?  Have I been wrong about Him all the time? Is He really who I thought He was?'   

And Jesus replies - tell John that Isaiah 35 is being enacted before your eyes. The blind are seeing and the deaf are hearing.  He pointedly does not start quoting the chapter at the previous verse

 “Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
    he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
    he will come to save you.”

which are the words surely John must have been desperate to hear.  Jesus points to a different future for John.  An eternal one where everlasting joy will be his crown and sorrow and sadness will be no more.   

I recently read this by Gene Edwards

its a thought provoking exploration of the last days of John the Baptist and I recommend it.  I'd like to think that John is one of those who gets a seat next to the risen Jesus in heaven.  That whilst his earthly life received no reward or recognition whatsoever, his heavenly payment has been mind blowingly massive.  And his crown is extra shiny :)

Sunday 15th December

Childbirth.    Its not great really is it?  Well of course, the end result is great but the process is horrible.   Like much of life I suppose.

Ive been watching The Bible on Channel 5 and we have just witnessed the birth of Jesus.  The significantly shortened and sanitised version of course but nevertheless it did bring home once again just what a

dangerous and frankly awful start He had in life.   In the TV version it was pouring with rain and Mary was in labour whilst on a donkey with nowhere to go.  The stable was dirt floor and there was nobody else around.
Poor Mary screeching and wailing on the floor whilst Joseph tried to be helpful.  Perhaps that was what it was like.    Perhaps it wasnt.  We only have the sketchiest of details to go on really.   But whatever the actual physical circumstances , anyone who has ever given birth for the first time can tell you that it is not easy.   First babies can take forever to come.  Labour can last for days and can be rather scary.   Not every time , but lots of times women get exhausted and need help.  Poor Mary.  Whatever the specifics of her delivery we can say without hesitation that it was frightening and painful and she was far from home and her extended family and the local village midwife.   What was God thinking???    He knew when the census would be.  He knew when Jesus would be born.  So why didnt He just shift things about in the diary a bit??   Did He not care about Mary and Joseph?  Why make a terribly difficult thing - being parents to the Son of God - even more difficult?   If I were Mary thats the question I would have been asking.

Of course we know now, with the benefit of hindsight and the explanation of scripture that it all needed to happen that way to fulfil the Old Testament prophecies.  But at the time from Mary and Josephs perspective it must have just seemed baffling and unnecessary and unfair.

30 years after his birth Jesus is in the wilderness being tempted by Satan.   Why did the Son of God need to go through the trial of 40 days of fasting followed by the torment of every temptation which could possibly ensnare Him?  God doesnt seem to cut anyone any slack..... the more obedient the harder the testing it would appear.

  Once again, from our vantage point in history we can see why the wilderness temptations were important.  Apart from anything else the refusal of Jesus to fall for Satans wiles shows Him a victor before He has even started His work.  And it also seems to invest him with power  ('Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee  and the news of Him went out '  Luke 4 14)  But I wonder if Jesus knew that that would be the result as he was battling with the devil under the burning heat of the desert sun?

Perhaps victory and power are what our trials and tribulations are for too.  When we refuse to listen to the enemy, or bow to his temptations we have a testimony .  And our testimony is powerful powerful powerful.  We forget sometimes just what God can do when we speak out as witnesses for Him.  When we are going through the trials it is hard to see anything but the difficulties and problems we face.   We cant see God's bigger picture.  But like Mary we just have to get on with it.  Give birth to that thing God has put inside us no matter how difficult the process , inconvenient the timing or unprepared we feel.   No matter how painful it is
or how alone we are or how far away God seems.  It's called faith in action.  And it is not easy.   Those people who say that Christianity is an easy option really don't have much of a clue  :)

Lord, this Christmas and this coming year help us to resist temptation.   Help us to do the right thing and be the people you have called us to be so that we can know victory and have a testimony.  Bring to birth in us those things which You have been growing and help us to accept the process no matter how messy or painful or difficult.  Because the thing you birth will be full of life and power and truth and hope.  

Sat 14th December

Shepherds.

Ive been thinking about shepherds.

Im not sure that we in 21st century UK have much idea about what Bible time shepherds were about.  I know they will have been very poor and that the sheep will NOT have been of the white fluffy variety so often depicted in Christmas cards.!   More likely scrawny collections of goats and half breed hardy shabby dirty brown things.

Christmas cards have a lot to answer for actually.  They subtly structure our perceptions and ideas so that when we read the scriptures we have those cosy comfy images in mind.   For example we always see the shepherds in groups of three or more adults.....   but Im not sure thats how it would have been.  In the middle east today shepherds are solitary souls driving their flocks to find the best grazing in hot scrubby land.  Its probably a family concern and almost certainly its a job that fairly young children could do .   In the Old Testament we see the young boy David looking after his flock - at the most an adolescent and certainly not

old enough to fight.    So when we hear  ' now there were in the same country shepherds....'  perhaps we are talking about a father and son,  or two or three brothers, or a few teenage boys.....  who knows?

Lambs were important in Biblical times.  Everyone who was able to afford one would take one up to the temple at Passover to sacrifice.  So they were a must-have item on the shopping list and as such there were up to 1000 lambs at any one time being looked after in the fields around about Jerusalem and the temple.   It was big business.  There must have been money to be made.   The Bible tells us that the shepherds were ' living out in the fields' - ie they were homeless.  Their sheep were the main thing and their only source of income.  They were prepared to sleep out in bothys and caves in order to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the flock.   As such one would imagine the shepherds were not really part of society.   Their job didnt really facilitate them being part of the community - they lived outside it.  And whilst not exactly outcasts, they most certainly were not people of any note or distinction.

So it is to these homeless, possibly young, probably tough, lowly individuals that God decides to announce His arrival.  And the remarkable thing is that having been terrified half to death and regardless of the consequences the shepherds to a man decide to leave their precious flocks - their livelihood - that for which they have invested everything until now - and go to town to check it out. I wonder how long it took to get there and what they talked about on the way.

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. ( Luke 2)

So the first to hear about Jesus were the first to leave everything to seek Him out and were then the first ' evangelists' telling people about Him.   I wonder how many of their precious sheep had wandered off in the meantime.   Ironically it is shepherds who first meet the Good Shepherd who is the one who will ultimately put paid to temple sacrifices when He becomes the ultimate , once and for all sacrifice.   The Lamb of God also became homeless to live among His sheep because He saw them ( us) as precious and highly valuable.  There is much to ponder in these few Bible verses.    God never does anything by mistake.

Lord, this Christmas as we think about the story of Your birth help us not to be distracted by the sanitised christmas carol version of events so often presented to us in cards and images at this time of year.  Help us to see past the fluff and tinsel to the real gritty human lives you touched right from the very moment of Your birth.  May we too be willing to leave the things we know and the lives we have built for ourselves in order to search You out.   And when we have spent time in Your presence let us go out  praising You for all we have seen and heard.

Friday 13th December

Ive got a story to tell you today.  And I know there is a moral in it somewhere....... probably more than one.  Just havent quite worked out what it is yet - so I shall let you draw your own conclusions

Back in the summer I was out on a walk with some friends - along a river then up a steep climb to the top of a ridge and down the other side.  There was a rough path and it was a nice day so there were quite a few people out and  about.   As we were walking along I looked down and saw a ten pound note on the ground.  I picked it up and looked for who might have dropped it but there was nobody directly in front of us.  So I put it in my pocket and told the friends I was with that I would be looking out for the person who had dropped it.  They thought I was bonkers and said I should stand the drinks at the pub at the end of the walk.    We climbed up to the top and had passed several people both going up and down.  When we got to the top there was a lady just starting to make her way down and for some reason I just said to her ' excuse me have you lost some money? '  She looked amazed and said ' Yes!  A tenner dropped out of my pocket somewhere along the way'.   I handed it to her and she thanked me.    And that was that.
I think I said something to my friends about believing that what goes around comes around.........

On Monday Ben took his dinner money in to school.  When he came home on Monday afternoon he miserably informed me that he had lost the ten pound note somewhere between our house and his classroom.  He was upset.  I told him not to worry , someone would have handed it in.    I was SO sure of this that it genuinely never crossed my mind to be cross that a tenner had vanished.  I just firmly believed that God would return my ten pounds to me because He is just and fair and ' what goes around comes around'    So on Tuesday I went up to school to ask the secretary if anyone had handed in the money.   As I was walking up the road I was thinking ' Oooh I can write about this in  my blog today.  Sowing and reaping.  Honesty pays.  That sort of thing     How God restores what is lost.'

Just before I set foot in the school God said to me '  What if I dont? '     Hmmmmmmmm.  No.  Don't want to listen to that.

Went in to school and spoke to the secretary and Ben's class teacher.  Nobody had handed in the money.   I paid for the unpaid-for school dinners and left feeling a little..... well.....intrigued I suppose.   I wasn't angry or upset or disappointed.... I was just wondering what it was all about.   I knew God knew where the £10 had gone.   Perhaps someone had picked it up in the street -  Ive picked up money in the street before and kept it - because there was no way of ever finding the owner.  So maybe it was divine justice after all.   Or perhaps the person who had picked it up really needed it.  Needed it more than I did.   I can stand to lose a tenner right now.... but for someone perhaps finding a tenner was a real blessing.

I then moved on to thinking about whether it was ' fair' or not.  Was it fair that I should find and return a ten pound note to someone and then not get back the ten pounds I had lost.   Surely God could have sorted things out to be fair?  And if it wasnt fair ( it didnt seem to be fair as I was looking at it) then how was I going to feel about that?   I had been SO sure that God would give me my lost money back.   I decided that whatever the reason He had for not doing so - He knows best.   That sounds a bit pious doesnt it?   It wasnt.  It was more of a shrug of the shoulders and an ' Oh well, nothing much I can do about it now.' sort of thing.


Yesterday ( Thursday)  Ben came home from school clutching a ten pound note wrapped in a post it note which said ' this was found in the playground today'  and signed Ben's class teacher.   Ha!!   So for four days a tenner had been lying in the playground ?? And somehow I just know that the reason it sat there undiscovered for four days was that God wants to teach me something.

Im still chewing over what that might be but here are a few initial thoughts.

1) God has a sense of humour.  I laughed out loud when Ben produced the money yesterday afternoon.  I could feel God smiling.  A totally unexpected twist.  He is good at that

2) Sometimes we can have faith for something and be sure that God has spoken only to be disappointed by seemingly contradictory evidence or circumstances.  But perhaps if we just wait a while......?

3) What goes around does indeed come around.  You really do reap what you sow. God is always giving us chances to be righteous and honest, to be kind and good.  To serve others and meet needs.  Lets take all the chances we can because one day we might need to be on the receiving end of honesty and kindness and service.

I know this hasnt got anything much to do with Advent but its what has been on my mind today so thats what has gone in the Blog.  Maybe back to more seasonal matters tomorrow?  Who knows?



Lord , Thank you so much for watching over us with such care.  Thank you that even the small happenings of our every day lives are important to you and nothing goes unnoticed.  You care about the ten pound notes every bit as much as you care about global economies.  You cared about lepers and children just as much as you cared about the eternal salvation of Mankind.  You are good and I love You.

Thursday 12th December

Well yesterday was just one of those days.   I woke with a sore head.  I then banged my head on the car door and nearly knocked myself senseless .  I was out of petrol so had to stop to fill up on the way which made me fractionally late for work and then when I got there the only parking space within reach of the building I was going to was minimal.  I decided to try it.  I wasnt concentrating and ended up scraping the car in front.   I had to find another space then lug all my stuff to the place I was doing my Jo Jingles class which involved two trips to and from the car.  I started the class late ( thankfully they didnt mind a bit)

Then I was shopping trying ( unsuccessfully ) to find the last of the christmas presents when my phone rang and it was the piano tuner who was standing outside my door wondering where I was!!  I had completely forgotten he was coming.    And the day ended with a massive row with one of my kids.   Bleaarrrgh !   I was particularly glad to get to bed last night!!

We've all had bad days.  I dont really mind having the odd bad day - I mean in the greater scheme of things my day was annoying but not much more than that.  For some reason, when pondering what to write in the blog today I started thinking about Mary and her bad day.  Or bad week.  Month even.

Imagine being nine months pregnant and having to walk for a week ( the Bible never actually says she went

by donkey - but even if she did it was hardly likely to be a comfortable journey)   Having to walk through Samaria - an area where the people were pretty hostile to the Jews.    Having to camp out under the stars at night or possibly lodge with strangers.  Only to arrive and find that there was no decent accommodation.  To end up most probably in the house of some kind but poor peasant where the inhabitants lived on a platform floor above the livestock.   Imagine giving birth with no pain relief,. no medical care , and none of the things you had prepared for the arrival of the baby actually with you.  80 miles from the comfort of home and knowing that you now had to trek all the way back again with your newborn.  

Imagine the fear of being in an occupied country where the authorities were taking note of who you were and where you lived. On top of the fear of what everyone was saying and thinking about you - pregnant out of wedlock, mother to an ' illegitimate' baby.  And the dreadful responsibility of

knowing that the child you were carrying and delivering was God's child.  Who can possibly imagine how that felt??

Compared with my bad day...... well..... you just have to feel terribly sorry for Mary dont you?

So how would you respond if, a week or so before you were due to give birth - God's plan, and you had been obedient to it all the way, at not insignificant personal cost, - all of that happened?   Would you wonder where God was and what He was playing at?   Would you question His care of you?  His commitment to the plan He had revealed?  Would you do a bit of moaning and complaining during the week of walking?   Im pretty sure I would!!  Im sure that during the journey Mary

and Joseph were both praying hard for somewhere decent to stay when they got there.  Somewhere comfortable in case the baby came.   Did God answer those prayers?   Yes He did.  He said no.
Im sure when Jesus was born Mary prayed that he would be safe and blessed  - so how did she feel when she heard that Herod was out to kill him and that she had to flee to Egypt?   Let's face it Mary had a pretty rough time of it.   And yet we dont see her moaning and complaining .  In fact the only thing we are told is that she quietly ponders all that is going on.  I cant imagine any of it really made much sense to her.  But she holds on and waits and presumably trusts God.  Maybe she struggled with trusting Him.   One could hardly blame her if that were the case.

Why doesnt God make it easy?  Why cant He just take away all the bumps in the road and give us an easy ride?   Sometimes with the benefit of hindsight we can see why.  Sometimes we cant.  Sometimes none of it makes much sense and it feels as though God has deserted us.   If thats where you are today then just hang on.   There IS a plan and it does make sense.  You will be able to  look back and see it one day.  For now just keep on keeping on.

Lord Jesus,  thank you for the example of Mary - an extraordinary woman of whom so much was demanded.  Help us to hold on through difficult days and bring us out of them with our faith intact and strengthened.  Increase our faith and help us to do what you ask of us regardless of the opposition.   Amen