"It's the most wonderful time of the year". Or so the 1960's crooner, Andy Williams would have us believe. And his tune - along with many others sharing the same sentiment - are being piped at us endlessly as we shop, commute and potter round the house. Wherever we turn, we are confronted with cheery melodies, tinsel and trimmings, party invitations and the expectation of some presents to remember.
Of course, there's some truth in the sentiment that it's a wonderful time of year. Remembering the moment when God took on human flesh to save us from our sins is undoubtedly awesome, profoundly life-changing. But that doesn't necessarily make Christmas fun. And, personally, I don't find it hard to think of people who are, quite frankly, dreading it:... continue reading
Had to write this post today, because, if the Mayans are to be believed, I will not have the chance tomorrow, because the world will have ended.
The latest flurry of activity from global doomsayers centres on a particular reading of ancient Mayan calendar systems, which finishes its 5,125 year cycle on Friday December 21st, although modern descendants of the Mayans on the Yukatan Peninsula in Central America are simply saying that when this cycle ends, another one will begin - so what's the fuss about.... continue reading
They’re everywhere at the moment. There are the small children – usually girls – swathed in white sheets and gold tinsel all poised to enter stage left and address the tea-towel clad shepherds and associated stuffed sheep with “tidings of great joy”. There are the cards we’re sending and receiving. There may even be one on the top of your tree. But what exactly are angels? And what do they do when they’re not announcing the birth of our Saviour? Here, this Christmas time, is a quick Q&A about our angelic neighbours:
How many are there?
Lots! They are described as being “innumerable” (Hebrews 12:22) and numbering “thousands and thousands” (Revelation 5:11). Heaven is thronging with angelic beings.... continue reading
I've just written my to-do list. It's festive. But it's long. And, if I'm honest, I'm not quite sure how I'm going to manage to deliver all the cards and presents at the same time as taking part in various services, cooking large quantities of food, holding down my job, going to parties and maintaining some kind of residual sanity. Far from reflecting on a "silent night", I feel more as if I'm living in a whirlwind of activity which threatens to suck me into oblivion.
Which is why I'm very grateful to have stumbled across the post-it note I wrote for myself last Christmas (sandwiched in the middle of the amorphous mass of tinsel that lurks in the decorations box). There's only one word on it. And that word is this:
PRIORITIES... continue reading
We're used to images of the Jolly fat guy who is kind to everyone. And even though he supposedly makes a list of "who's naughty and nice" - he never really leaves the naughty kids off the list - it's just a feeble attempt by parents to introduce justification by works into the Christmas story.
But the real St Nic was quite different, although stories about his life are more in the realm of folklore and legend than accredited historic fact. As the pastor of a church in Myra (in the SE of modern Turkey), he was a tough Gospel-preaching evangelist. His elevation to universal gift giver stems from a story about him throwing gold coins through a window to provide a dowry for three young Christian women whose family had fallen on hard times. Some versions have him dropping them down the chimney and/or the coins ending up in their stockings hanging to dry by the fire. But note the difference. His are not gifts to give delight to the already wealthy. They are gifts of compassion to rescue poor young women from a life of slavery or prostitution for a Christian future.... continue reading
It’s such a privilege to praise God through song. And one of the things I love best about Christmas services is being able to belt out some great carols. While I’m happy to sing (or, more usually, play) a whole range of songs, if I’m honest I do have a few favourites. Those carols that I long to sing and sing again at this time of year. And it seems I’m not alone.
Here are some of our blog team’s favourite Christmas songs:
Alison: “O come, O come, Emmanuel” - It gives the Old Testament background to the coming of Christ and shows God’s faithfulness to His promises – and the tune is great too!... continue reading
Weeks late, I finally got around to watching the latest Bond blockbuster Skyfall. An interesting experience, because I was only able to book to see it with subtitles in English. Having watched loads of foreign-language films with English subtitles, I thought it would be no problem.
How wrong could I be? It absolutely ruined it!
Seeing the words flash up, slightly before they were spoken made it look like they were just actors reading lines - not like Bond, Q, M and Moneypenny at all - just actors in a play. The subtle timing of jokes was spoiled. The scenes where there was supposed to be smouldering romance were emptied of passion as it became obvious that they were just pretending. The delicate illusion of the theatre had been torn away by the simple addition of some words along the bottom.... continue reading
Stuff happens. Jobs are lost. Relationships are broken. Ends don’t meet. Illnesses take unexpected downturns. We make mistakes. The pressures of Christmas crash in. Life feels unpredictable. And most of us, to a greater or lesser extent, respond by worrying.
Some days the nagging insecurities about the future play irritatingly in the backs of our minds. At other times we’re overwhelmed by a torrent of panic that leaves us utterly inert. We want to know it’s all going to work out ok in the future. And we feel we can’t relax until there’s some tangible evidence it really is going to be fine.
But when we turn to the Scriptures we’re confronted with the inescapable fact that the Bible says, “don’t worry”:... continue reading
Maybe it's a personality thing, but I never thought that following the herd was a good thing.
Safe, perhaps. If you didn't want to be embarrassed by standing out from the crowd perhaps.
So seeing this advertising line encouraging me to "be smart" by "following the herd" on the back of a van got me thinking about the whole cultural tension we feel between fitting in and being individuals. Our culture seems to encourage individuality. We are constantly being told to "be ourselves" and to "think different".... continue reading
I've always struggled with remembering people's names. It's frustrating and embarrassing to run into someone at church or in the street, and fail to drag their name out of my memory banks. Although I've had a few embarrassing moments, I've never done anything quite like this however.
British conductor Sir Thomas Beecham who started the world famous Prom concerts was famed for his sharp wit, but struggled, like many of us, with attaching names to faces as he grew older. ... continue reading
