RAK Lent

This week in the Christian calendar has seen the beginning of Lent.  Many people practise the eating of pancakes on Shrove Tuesday but not all those who recognise Pancake Day commit to the 40 days of Lent.  I have to admit that I haven't always participated in the giving up of something for Lent.  It seemed to me to be a practice that had become almost a dogma among Christians, a sort of formula that had to be adhered to in order to be considered a committed Christian.  So being the rebel and non-conformist that I am, I stopped doing it.  Many of course find the self denial and discipline good for their spiritual lives and that's to be applauded.  Many make a conscious effort to pray and read the Bible more which is not a bad thing.


The 40 days of Lent, although a recognised part of the Christian calendar, was not something that Jesus himself practiced on a regular basis.  It is really in remembrance of his 40 days in the wilderness where he was tempted before beginning his ministry so in partaking of the practice of some form of fasting in Lent is not something Jesus particularly expected his disciples to do or his followers to take on board as some obligatory annual ritual.  For Jesus it was a very personal time in his journey on earth. So different people approach this time in different ways.  One very tongue-in-cheek look at Lent I saw this week was on twitter called 101 things to give up for Lent.  It included things like certain luxury food and drink as you might expect but also things like giving up non-Christian TV and books and also mid-air drumming and all shoes except sandals, saying at the end that if you do all the things on the list then you are a very godly person indeed!


The time that is remembered as I said is the 40 days before the start of Jesus' ministry and not the 40 days before what we now call Easter.  It was a time when Jesus wrestled with the concerns of his ministry, how he should go about it and what was the main thrust of his message.  It was not about him but about God and his love and forgiveness.  It was about making a change in the lives of many who were living on the margins of society.  It was 'good news to the poor'.  He quoted from the book of the prophet Isaiah when he began his ministry and we are reminded that in Isaiah God says to his people 

'Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the chords of the yolk, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?  Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter, when you see the naked to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?   ( Isaiah 58:6.7) 


In my musings and browsing along these lines, I have been challenged myself to live a different Lent this year - a Random Act of Kindness (RAK) Lent.  The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu suggests something on similar lines when he endorses Love Life Live Lent, saying that such acts of kindness to others could change our world.  I discovered that Pope Francis has also been saying something similar.  He suggests fasting on the indifference we have towards the problems of others.  So the RAK Lent is not just about giving up something but trying to make a difference.  Like the 40 days for Jesus was a preparation for his future life, I'm praying that this Lent might be a preparation for a year ahead that makes a difference in the every day living of just where I am.  For more ideas on what acts you could carry out check out Do Lent Generously an idea from the Christian charity Stewardship.  It has some excellent suggestions that are easy to follow.  It's not about giving in terms of money but also time, thought, being not so me-focused on what I'm giving up but more deliberately focused on the needs of others and how I can help to make a difference, making the world a better place for them. 

(Click on the red print to go to the links quoted.)

Going straight?

I must clarify from the start that this is not about living within the law or about sexuality.  It's about the direction of a journey.  When travelling, people usually prefer to go the quickest route possible.  That's why we have spent millions in making motorways so we can get from one place to another more directly.  We tunnel through mountains to save having to travel all the way around them.  We build bridges as a quicker way over waterways in order to cut the time of a journey.  And this is understandable.  Time is of the essence.  We just want to get to our destination without the hassle of actually travelling there.  


When people refer to 'the scenic route' it implies a rather round about way of getting to the same place and taking much longer to arrive.  The truth that we often miss is that it really is the scenic route.  The motorways, tunnels and bridges are for the most part just mile after mile of the same.  The scenic route however, possibly because of more twists and turns of the country roads, are usually more interesting.  We go through small villages and are able to refresh ourselves at some quaint country pub instead of the motorway service station.  There's usually less traffic also but as we know, this takes time and we don't always have the time to spare.  And that can seem a shame.


In comparison, when God does something, he takes great delight in not using straight lines.  Could you imagine a tree with straight branches and diamond-shaped leaves?  The only tree with straight branches I have seen is a one humans make of their family tree.  Or where is there a river that doesn't meander its way to the sea?  When we want to make a waterway we tend to dig straight down and as directly as possible between two points, using locks to move up or down along the stretch of the canal.  The twists and turns of nature is often breathtaking as we turn a corner and are confronted with some beauty of creation.  What a shame to miss that because we are in a hurry to reach our destination.  Many going on holiday try to think of the journey as part of the holiday and endeavour to find ways of enjoying it as such instead of getting over stressed by the actual travelling to get to the destination.


It's the same in life.  When I was younger, I had my future all planned out.  Then life happened!  Looking back it seems that my plans went right out of the window.  But if I'm honest I've had some wonderful experiences that I hadn't planned so I'm so glad that things didn't work out exactly as I thought they would or should.  We like things to go ahead as we plan without any complications or setbacks.  We have a goal and want to achieve it as soon as possible.  By being so intense on doing so we run the risk of missing an awful lot of wonderful experiences.  We are so focused on the end goal that we miss the 'now' moment.  When life has its twists and turns, I guess we should really think of it as God's way of doing things.  Doing things His way might mean living with the unexpected, having twists and turns, changing direction, travelling off the beaten track but so much more interesting and fulfilling.  

Don't Rock The Boat

I was interested a couple of weeks  ago to learn of the Hungarian doctor Ignaz Semmelweis (1818 - 1865).  He discovered that the washing and cleaning of hands greatly reduced the mortality rate of patients in his maternity ward compared to the wards supervised by other doctors.  He published papers to this effect and insisted that it was the simple act of washing hands that was the key.  His publications were rejected by the established scientific and medical opinions of the time.  He was eventually committed to as asylum for his 'outrageous' claims where he died only 2 weeks after entering the institution, having been beaten by guards.  His theories were proved correct by Lister and Pasteur years after his death.  Today personal hygiene and cleanliness is so much a part of everyday life that it is hard to imagine that the medical world of the mid 19th century did not accept this.


The other day I watched (again!) the now old film The Jazz Singer.  In case anyone is not familiar with the story, it is about a young Jewish man whose father was a cantor in the synagogue.  It was a family tradition and the young man would be the fifth generation of cantors in his family, something that made his father very proud.  However, the young man also lived another life by singing with non-Jewish friends in clubs.  When he got the opportunity to go to California, he realised that singing to the general public was what he really wanted to do.  The result of course was many problems within family relationships and heartache and struggles to come to terms with this idea on all sides.  Eventually he followed his dream and 'made it' in the music world of California.


The first story is a sad one but the second had a happier ending.  The thing is that deep inside we know what is right for us whether other people accept what we say or not.  Truth is truth.  It doesn't depend on how many people agree with us.  It doesn't necessarily mean that the majority must be right.  But it is very difficult to remain true to what we feel deep inside when all around seem to be going in the opposite direction.  The old song that we often used to sing says, 'I'll fear not what men say'.  But we do, don't we?  How often have we heard people say, 'What will people think?'   Today with social media someone can very quickly be made to appear like a saint or a villain.  Whistle-blowers and reporters who tell it as it really is are criticised by established figures and often rubbished in the media when most times what they are saying is the truth that nobody in authority wants the world to know.  It is more difficult when we go against family tradition and when those closest to us reject what we say.  The last thing we want to do is hurt and upset those we love and so often we bury what is inside and carry on just going along with tradition without questioning, closing our minds to any personal or different ideas that we may have had.  Our dreams remain only dreams as we feel unable to seek to make them reality. 


 I have to admit I have great respect for anyone who can stick to their guns when they really believe something regardless of who listens or accepts what they say.  Throughout history we find people who have been ridiculed only to be proved right in later years. Galileo comes to mind when he insisted that the earth went round the sun and not the other way around.  Sadly too often we conform simply to avoid 'rocking the boat'.  We don't want to get a bad reputation as a trouble maker or being a bit wacky.  Sadly this applies to many Christian congregations when those who question or don't fall into line end up outside of the group, excluded.  We have seen it with prominent church leaders like Steve Chalke when he spoke of accepting gay people and Rob Bell and Jim Palmer for offering a different perspective on Christian beliefs.  I find it sad that Christianity is becoming in many places, an exclusive 'club' where if you question, think for yourself, don't fit in and conform or rock the boat then you become excluded.  As for me - I will continue to question and seek truth even if that means being part of a misunderstood minority.  In the end it is only truth that will set us free, free from the fear of what others might think, free to be who we really are, free to be the person God made us to be.

Seasonal Adaptations

The other day I was catching up with some of the programmes I had recorded as I was unable to watch them at the time they went out on air.  One of the programmes was Winterwatch.  The Springwatch team who do the programmes was in the highlands of Scotland for their transmissions where they had experienced bad weather just the week before.  It was a real winterland, lovely for postcards, everything covered in snow.  They were particularly looking to see how different species of creatures adapted to cope with the cold weather - snow and temperatures well below freezing for most of the time.

The common shrew

Of course we all know that nature changes and adapts in order to cope with the colder weather.  Many trees lose their leaves and plants 'die' only to be revived when the fine weather returns.  Some creatures hibernate during the winter months and arouse from their deep sleep when the weather gets warmer.  Those who don't hibernate adopt various strategies in order to cope.  The mountain hare changes the colour of its fur from brown to white so that it is better camouflaged in order evade the exceptional vision of the golden eagle looking for prey.  The ptarmigan not only changes its feathers to white but also buries itself with snow just under the surface where the temperature is actually a little warmer.  But what really called my attention was when the presenter (Chris Packham) explained about the common shrew.  It actually shrinks in size.  It deliberately shrinks its skeleton, heart, liver, skull and even its brain in order to require less energy and therefore not needing as much food thus giving it a better chance of survival at a time when food is scarce.  How amazing is that!?  I found this so hard to believe that I checked it out for myself online - and it is true.

We often talk about seasons of life and in spiritual terms seasons of the soul.  Sadly we don't always learn the lessons of nature.  When things change, they adapt and change to accommodate and cope with the different circumstances and surroundings.  Yet how often when it comes to our expression of faith do we just keep plodding on doing the same things as before?  Our excuse is that we've always done things that way.  If creatures in the wild kept on doing things always the same way, they would be in real trouble.  So they adapt.  We might decide to do things slightly differently.  We change the order of service, we sing a few new(er) songs, we begin some project or new programme.  There is often great need to change inside, the whole structure of how we live and do things, the very way we express our faith.  Sometimes we need to rest, do nothing, just be.  But sometimes it's necessary to actually get rid of things, strip back things that have become burdensome and are draining our resources.  Sometimes it's necessary that we become less - less important, less busy, less involved, less sure of ourselves, less ready to always have an answer.  Sometimes less is more. It isn't always about doing things differently, it's about being different deep inside.  Very often the change we need to make is not about what we do or where we go but about what we are.  The shrew has a great lesson that we do well to take notice of.  Maybe it's us that needs to change.  

My Word

I love word games - crosswords, code words, missing letters etc. etc.  Over the years, television has supplied us with a number of game shows involving words.  The one that has probably lasted the longest I think is Countdown, the daily words and numbers game.  People of my age will also remember programmes like Call My Bluff when three different definitions of a word are given and the opposing team has to guess the correct meaning.  My excuse for spending time on them, (if I need an excuse!) is that at my age, it helps to keep my mind active and ticking over.  Words are important, so much so that very often the first words of a baby are noted in a baby book and kept for posterity.  We use phrases like 'I give you my word' as a way of promising something or insisting that what we have said is true.  The words 'My Word' are used in exclamation to denote a certain amount of surprise or wonder.  


This week Richard Rohr, in his daily meditations has been talking about God's Word.  We think of God's Word as the Bible that we use today - the Old and New Testament.  Some Christians seem to be of the opinion that the Bible as we know it today is the sum total of God's Word.  (Roman Catholics have a larger Bible than Protestants as they include the books of the Apocrypha)  Some assume that if some story or word of wisdom is not in there then it's not part of God's Word.   We need to acknowledge that this Christian Sacred Text has not always existed.  So what happened before the existence of the Bible as we know it today, before the life of Jesus?  And of the Old Testament, what happened before Abraham or Moses?  Those who lived then, how did they know about God?  How did God make himself known to them?  Did he have nothing to say?


Richard Rohr quotes both Anthony of the Desert (251 - 356) and Thomas Aquinas (1224 - 1274) as saying that there are actually two books of Scripture, two books of God's Word.  The Bible is the second book being around for the last 2000 years or so.  The first book of God's Word is the natural world and has existed since the Big Bang 14 billion years ago.  In the first few verses of the Bible we read that God said ... ... .  He brought the whole universe into being by his word and yet we so often discard this expression of His Word in favour of the written word.  We think that God is 'contained' in the Bible.  He is but he is also much bigger than that.  Jesus so often used examples from creation to explain divine truths and we miss an awful lot of what God is saying and what he is like when we don't spend time contemplating his handiwork.  He first expressed himself in creation billions of years before humanity decided to put things in a book, long before the written word even existed.  Some would shy away from this saying it verges on paganism or New Age spirituality.  Yet Francis of Assisi wrote words that were translated and became known as the hymn 'All Creatures of our God and King'.  In the original he refers to creation as Brother Sun and Sister Moon, also referring to Brother Wind and Brother Fire and Sister Water and Mother Earth.  To this day he is revered for the way he saw God in creation.  The present Pope reminds us of this by taking his name to be known as Pope Francis.    


I can't help thinking that although it's good to read and know the Bible, it's not the whole story.  You can't contain God in a building nor can you contain him in a book.  As the children sing, 'My God is a great big God'.  There are so many expressions of him that we don't see when we are so intent in having our heads in a book.  There are so many lessons and truths that we miss when we think that it's all in 'the book'.  Richard Rohr expresses this sentiment when he says that each creature is a unique and distinct word of God with its own message.  Or as Meister Eckhart puts it so well, 'Anyone who truly knows creatures may be excused from  listening to sermons for every creature is full of God and is a book' - and he was of the Order of Preachers.  We refer to Jesus as The Word and say that The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.  Before Jesus became flesh, God's Word became living creatures and plants.  He expressed himself in his creation.  When a person creates something, a picture, a piece of sculpture, some article of beauty or usefulness, they are expressing their thoughts and ideas in material or physical form.  You get an idea of them from their creativity.  And so God created the universe. If we look, observe and learn directly from what he has made we can learn so much about what he is like and what are his ways. He has great lessons and truth he wants to teach us if only we have eyes to see and ears to hear.

Conundrum

I have been thinking much lately about the different religions of the world and how people of many different faiths all seem to have something valid to contribute to the overall wisdom of a belief system.  I often think that it would be great if we could somehow amalgamate all the best bits of each religion and make one belief system to suit everybody.  Is that Utopia?  A fantasy?  And yet as Christians we believe that Jesus came for the 'whole world'.  We always say that God loves everyone, so surely it is his own wish to see all of humanity living as one.  At the birth of Jesus the story tells us that the angels sang about peace and goodwill to all people.  We are also reminded that the wise men in the story came from far away eastern lands.  They did not share the Jewish faith and there is no account that they became Jewish after their encounter with the new-born Jesus.  They worshipped him and went back to their own lands.  It seems today that when it comes to religious beliefs, the world is ever more divided.  Some people of no faith reckon that the world would be better off without religion of any kind as, according to their thinking, it is religion that causes most of the wars in the world and that it is religion that breeds violence one against the other.  That's not entirely true but I can see how they reach that conclusion.



So just how can we work to bring about this unity of religious belief?  Or should we?  I am currently reading the Brian McLaren book, 'Why Did Jesus, Moses, The Buddha And Mohammed Cross The Road?', where he explores the issue of the many different expressions of faith in the world.  It is a very interesting read if you haven't already read it.  For me the great conundrum is that as a Christian I of course believe that Christianity is the only true way to God.  I accept that others find their way of expressing their spiritual beliefs but from my point of view their belief system is lacking somewhat.  It doesn't have the whole truth - of course we Christians do! (tongue in cheek!) The trouble with that concept is that most people of other religions each think exactly the same about their belief system.  So it seems we come to a sort of stale mate without any real resolution or way forward.  The conundrum is how can I who obviously believe my faith is right, not just tolerate but accept that those of other faiths have as valid a claim to truth as I have without weakening or lessening my own beliefs?


This can result of course in the sort of thing that we have seen in the past few days and weeks - killing other human beings in the name of a particular strand of a religion whose perpetrators believe that only they have the whole truth and all others are less and if not willing to convert then they should be 'punished'.  And let's be honest here - those of us in 'the west' are as guilty as any other of atrocities carried out in the name of our religion over the centuries (crusades, colonisation, 'civilization', slavery, the Inquisition  the conquistadors of South America  and so on ... ) Even as recently as the 20th century, we think of the Holocaust and the troubles in Northern Ireland.  So as a Christian what is my answer to this?  The immediate reaction for many is understandably to go and blast them, give them a bit of their own medicine as it were.  So everybody is hell bent on killing each other.  The trouble I have with this is that force and strength only prove who is more cunning in battle and has the better weapons at their disposal.  It doesn't prove who is actually right.  And God doesn't take sides in a killing spree even if we do label it a just war.  It also puts you on the same level as those you condemn - killing because others disagree with your way of thinking.  On the other hand I liked the reaction in Australia after the hostage situation in the Sydney cafe when the reaction of many people was to say 'I'll ride with you' - showing solidarity with those of other faiths without necessarily accepting their belief system.  We have also seen images of Christians defending Muslims as they go to worship and Muslims defending Christians as they went to their church buildings.  In Paris recently we have seen pictures of Muslims and Jews hugging each other as they protest and mourn together.  And so the conundrum continues and I don't really have any answers.


All I can do as a Christian is look to the example of Jesus and his teaching.  Jesus did not change religions.  He was never a 'Christian'.  He was a Jew right until his death and visited the synagogues and temple in Jerusalem right until his capture and subsequent death.  The Last Supper was actually a Jewish festival that he and the disciples were celebrating.  When he healed the servant of the Roman centurion or spoke to the Samaritan woman, he didn't say that they had to convert to the Jewish faith.  To the centurion he said that his faith had healed his servant.  What faith was that?  He was not of the Jewish faith and possibly followed Roman gods but he recognised a higher spiritual authority in Jesus and believed in him.  On that occasion Jesus remarked, 'I say to you that many will come from the east and  the west and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of heaven' - was he saying people from other nations and belief systems?   He also healed the daughter of the Syro-Phoenician woman without insisting that she accept the religion of the Jews.  It appears therefore that Jesus not only accepted people just who they were and where they stood in their own particular expression of faith but never said anything about changing their religious allegiance.  They were accepted by God as they were.  God then is bigger than any one expression of spirituality and has no problem about anyone of whatever persuasion who truly seeks him.  I'm still working on it!

Just Dreaming?

Yesterday morning I awoke after having a strange dream.  In the dream we still had our Christmas tree and decorations around the house, although in real life they are now safely boxed up and put back in the loft until next Christmas.  The strange thing about it though was that the tree was without decorations - no baubles or tinsel, none of the extras.  Other decorations and candles were also missing.  It would seem that we had been burgled and so in my dream I began to look around the house to see what else had been taken.  Not much, only things of not great importance.  The things that were necessary to modern living - the computer, mobile phone, purse with some money - were all intact.  It was as though whoever had been in our home didn't want those things.  Then I woke up and was glad that it had been a dream.  It wasn't a nice thought that we had been burgled even if the things that were taken were not things of great expense.


But it left me thinking!  Whenever I have a strange dream about something quite out of the blue or something that had not been on my mind, then I begin wondering if it was actually God who was wanting to impart some truth or idea in my mind.  He has been known to talk to us through stories, pictures and dreams.  And so I began thinking that the things that had been taken were things of adornment, embellishments, not the important bits.  The nativity scene was not taken but the glitter and baubles were.  Although many of the baubles had personal significance and brought back memories from the past, they were not essential to celebrating the Christmas story and message.  Other possessions were still intact and not even touched.  


Is it that there are things in my life that are just extras with no real value in the long term?  I don't think that it refers to material possessions.  I'm not one to crave after the latest gadget or get impressed with the biggest or most expensive anything.  If it does what it's supposed to and serves its purpose then an item is ok with me.  Seeing and working amongst the poverty of the shanty towns of South America has helped me to get my priorities right as far as material possessions are concerned.  So it would seem that the decorations are possibly to do with non-material matters.  So was this about Christmas or about religion in general?  Was it about things or my attitude to things?  I don't make New Year's resolutions but it seems that God has done that for me this year.  I feel that my challenge is to become more aware of where God is leading me and what are the things that need to be stripped away and done away with.  What are the things that are essential and what are the decorations - even if they do have some emotional memories for me?   And by the way I won't be getting rid of my actual Christmas decorations - I don't think that was the point of the dream.  Or was it just a weird dream after all? 

P.S.  Any thoughts or comments are welcome.     

I'll Keep Asking

Anyone who has had children or been involved with the care of children will know just how inquisitive they can be.  The why, when, where, who, how questions seem to have no end.  You think you've explained things and then they come back with another 'Why?' or 'How?'.  This is normal behaviour for children and in fact if they didn't ask questions we would think that there was something wrong with them, that they were lacking something in their concentration, normal development or desire for learning.  


When they are small, a short, simple explanation is often sufficient to answer their curiosity but as they get older, such simple answers don't suffice.  They need to know more and in more detail.  This surely is a sign that they are maturing and becoming more capable of understanding more than they did when they were younger.


It baffles me, therefore when Christians get the strange idea that the same explanations and teaching that has been given to them from their first steps of faith are still sufficient.  They listen to the same Bible verses explained over and over again.  The fact that they don't question seems to be taken as some strange form of maturity, they know all the answers.  They might have a point in thinking that they have travelled so far along the road and have experienced so much that they have indeed 'seen it all' - been there, done that, got the t-shirt etc.  But there are occasions when it is actually frowned upon to question what has been said from the platform or pulpit.  It is considered almost sacrilege to ask a question like 'Why God?'.  We must not question those 'in authority' over us.  (Sounds like some dictatorships I've known)  They are there to speak to us on God's behalf!  We are told that God has his ways and we should just trust him.  We are so often fobbed off with the usual set answers to such queries that they sort of float over the tops of our heads.  The words don't seem to connect with us.  They become almost meaningless.


Yet Jesus tells us that we must be like children in our faith.  When he said that, did he mean that we should never be complacent?  That God likes curious children?  Can we ever know all there is to know about God and spiritual things?  Can we not keep on learning while we travel on this road of faith?  Maybe I'm just not the passive sort when it comes to my faith.  So I continue to question and seek more of what God means and says and how this unfolds in my life.  I want to know God more so I persist like a small child and keep asking him to connect with my spirit so I can grow and really mature in him.  The simple answers of old aren't enough any more - I need  more God.

Whose Christmas Is It Anyway?

Spend, spend, spend.  It seems that at this time of the year that's all we seem to be doing.  We start with the buying of gifts for family and friends and then we stock up on food as though we are catering for the five thousand (slight exaggeration!)  But we do tend to over-cater for the Christmas holiday time - just in case.  And we buy stuff that we wouldn't normally eat but feel almost obliged to indulge in all those sweet delights and 'extras' just because 'it's Christmas'. Then no sooner is the actual day over, some then go on to spend more trying to get some bargain in the after-Christmas sales.  It is understandable therefore that some would say that Christmas belongs to the commercial sector and that they are the ones who gain most.  Not everyone thinks like the Grinch when he ponders, 'Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store, maybe Christmas ... perhaps ... means a little bit more.'


I can't help thinking that most people, if asked to name someone associated with Christmas, would say without thinking 'Santa Claus' rather than Jesus or any of the people from the original nativity scene.  Everywhere you go, there are pictures of the man with the red and white fur-trimmed clothes and the big white beard who always seems to be smiling.  'Tis the season to be jolly, Ho Ho Ho and all that.  Cards, books, television programmes are all about Santa Claus.  So some might think that Christmas belongs to Santa Claus.


On the other hand I have heard Christians say that the Christmas season belongs to Christians.  This was made quite plain to some friends who decided to go to a carol service at the local church before Christmas.  The church was full when they arrived there.  They looked around and saw a few seats at the back of the building and were hoping to sit down when they were told that those seats were reserved for church members who were doing stewarding duties and who would be taking their seats shortly.  The friends sadly left the building feeling a bit that maybe fully paid up members of the club/church group had priority when it came to seating and after all they were 'outsiders'.  Having said that, I know of other Christians who spent some of their Christmas Day serving up a hot meal for those who would have otherwise been on their own this Christmas.  So Christmas as some believe, belongs to the Christians.  

We notice many Christians urging us not to take Christ out of Christmas.  I totally agree!  But what exactly do we mean by this?  It's easy to keep Christ in the written word Christmas, but it's the actions that really matter.  The first Christmas which is the one that as Christians we celebrate at this time of year, was not a great gathering of religious people.  It wasn't some carefully organised celebration.  It was an act of God totally emptying himself of love for all of humanity.  It was a sign of hope for those who were downtrodden, justice for those who were treated unfairly and a future for those who lived in fear of what tomorrow might bring.  As in the words of the song, written and sung by mainly non-church-goers; Feed the world, let them know it's Christmas time.  It is not about celebrating one day; it is a way of living; it's the daily echo of God's self-emptying love lived out in our own lives.  Who does Christmas belong to?  Actually, from God's point of view, it belongs to everyone.  Joy to the world.  Peace on earth, goodwill to all people.  To really 'own' Christmas, we have to live it not just one day of the year but every day and show God's love to all, whoever they are, whatever they believe and whatever are their circumstances.  Emmanuel - God with us - God's love for all of his creation expressed in human form.  That's the real Christmas message.  

Happy Christmas

2014

Dear family and friends

Home grown strawberries

After the storms of last winter, we had a very wet spring but a glorious summer before the autumn colours began showing.  It seems that because of the wet spring, we had quite a harvest of berries in the garden – strawberries, raspberries and blackberries.  It is a good feeling to eat things that we have grown fresh from the garden.

Ayers Rock

In August, Diego and I had a very pleasant few days break in the Isle of Wight.  Martin and his partner Lisa, meanwhile had a 3 month break travelling in a campervan in Australia.  When they arrived back we were able to share in watching so many lovely photos.  They left their jobs (in IT and managing a Charity Drop-in centre respectively) in order to do the trip and Martin is now back in the same office in Cheshire but opted to work only 3 days a week so that he can also  spend some time volunteering for a charity.  Diego had a part time job but then found himself out of work for a short while and is now employed again in a warehouse.  We are all keeping well (as long as I keep taking the tablets!). 

Shanklin Old Town Isle of Wight

Martin and Lisa will be joining us for a few days before Christmas and we will be celebrating by eating both Argentinian (empanadas, milanesas de pollo a la Napolitana and alfajores) and the traditional English roast turkey – not all at the same time!  Christmas Day will be spent quietly just Diego and I together chilling out and enjoying a relaxing time.

We wish you all a very Happy Christmas

and a Blessed New Year

Mavis and family

Feliz Navidad

2014

Queridos familia y amig@s

Frutillas de nuestro jardín

Después de las tormentas del invierno pasado tuvimos una  primavera muy lluviosa pero un verano  glorioso antes de que empezaron a aparecer los colores hermosos del otoño.  Parece que por la primavera tan mojada tuvimos una buena cosecha de frambuesas, zarzas y frutillas en el jardín.  Le da a uno una buena sensación al poder comer cosas frescas que nosotors mismos hemos cultivado en nuestro jardín. 

Martin y Lisa en Australia

En agosto, Diego y yo pasamos unos días muy lindos en la Isla de Wight (a la costa sur de Inglaterra).  Martin y su amiga Lisa mientras tanto pasaron 3 meses viajando por Australia.  Al llegar de vuelta pudimos disfrutar mirar a tantas fotos tan hermosas.  Dejaron sus trabajos para poder ir de viaje y Martin ahora está de vuelta en la misma oficina en Cheshire pero eligió trabar solamente 3 días por semana porque quería tener tiempo para ayudar voluntariamente a una sociedad benéfica..  Diego tuvo un trabajo de 3 días por semana pero se encontró por un tiempito sin trabajo pero ahora está trabajando en un almacén.  Estamos todos con buena salud (¡con tal que yo siga tomando los remedios!)

Pueblo antiguo de Shanklin, Isla de Wight

Martin y Lisa estarán con nosotros por unos días antes de Navidad y estaremos celebrando por comer comida Argentina (empanadas, milanesas de pollo a la Napolitana y alfajores) y también la comida tradicional inglesa de pavo al horno - ¡pero no todos al mismo tiempo!  El día de Navidad Diego y yo lo pasaremos tranquilos juntos los dos y disfrutaremos un tiempo de descanso.

Deseamos que tengan una Navidad muy 

Feliz y un Año Nuevo lleno de Bendición.

Mavis y familia

Not Here

Everything but the one I want!

Have you ever needed to buy a particular item, known exactly where to get it but when you get there, they haven't got the specific item you're looking for?  That happened to me this week.  One of the spotlights in the kitchen had gone off.  No problem, I thought.  I always keep spare light bulbs in a cupboard.  I had just about every type of light bulb except the one I wanted.  Typical!  Still not a great problem.  I knew exactly where to go to get one.  When I got there I looked along all the shelves of light bulbs.  The one I wanted was nowhere to be seen.  So I had to traipse the town looking for shops where I could buy a light bulb for the kitchen.  I eventually did get one but after quite a search.  I wasn't very amused.  I had better things to do with my time.

Searching for the baby in the palace.

But the searching did remind me of this time of year and when the Wise Men went in search of the new baby king they knew had been born.  They went straight to the obvious place.  A future king would be in a palace, right?  Wrong!  They left the palace and had to continue their search until they found Jesus in the most unlikely place for someone of his greatness.  The whole experience was nothing like they expected.



From birth to death (and beyond) God on earth was nothing like people had expected or were looking for.  He spent so many years working just like any other man, earning a living and caring for his mother and family.  During his years of ministry he was known more for his 'unsavoury' friends that his religious ones.  He refused to show his power as God in human flesh in order to convince people of his message.  After his death he was not in the tomb where his followers had expected to find his dead body.  Even after being disowned by his followers and killed, he was then seen cooking them supper by the lakeside.  He was not where people expected him to be.

It begs the question - where are we looking to find him?  He possibly and, dare I say, following on from the way he lived on earth, probably won't be in what we think is the most obvious place.  He'll probably turn up where and when we least expect.  Be prepared to be surprised by his presence in the most unlikely of situations.  

Living In Hope

It's amazing how in town suddenly a number of shops have opened up selling just things to do with the Christmas season.  Everywhere you turn someone is trying to sell you wrapping paper, novelties or cards.  One such shop had its name painted in bold letters - All You Want For Christmas.  Ah!  That sounds good!  I went in to browse and see what they had that I might want.  What I would really like is a nice big fat cheque made out to my name but I couldn't see one anywhere!  But the idea of getting what you want set me thinking.  Hopes, wants, expectations. 


Advent is a time of looking forward with hope.  Children are encouraged to write a letter to Santa Claus saying what toys and games they would like to receive.  Some write long letters with long lists of things they want. Others are not so fortunate.  A few days ago I shared a post on Facebook about a young 10 year old boy called Santiago who lives in a part of Bahia Blanca in Argentina.  He was given a sort of wooden chopping board by his parents for his birthday and his reaction was a big smile and 'thank you' and he said that he looked forward to using it to cut up food.  It is the custom to use a wooden board to serve up and use at a barbecue instead of the usual plate so now he had his very own.  He was then handed another gift that his very poor parents had managed to save up for.  His reaction is priceless as he opened it to discover not a wooden tablet but a tablet that he had really hoped for but knowing how poor they were never expected in his wildest dreams that he would ever receive.  You can watch the video here but be sure to have your tissues at hand.


In our home for many years we have made wish lists.  Maybe it's because of working in shanty towns and seeing how little some people have to live on but to us at least it's preferable to give/receive something that is actually wanted and hoped for rather than something that will be put in a drawer and never used or recycled.  We do put enough items on the lists so there is a choice and we still don't know what we will actually receive so the surprise element is still there.  But it seems to me that so many of the lists to Santa are written with more than just hope.  Things are not just hoped for but actually expected to the point that parents have been known to search all over and pay anything in order to get the required gift.  Is this the real hope that is enshrined in Christmas?  Is this the advent message that we are giving our children?   Businesses are hoping for more profit this year than last year.  It seems that hope for the world has become a matter of wealth and ownership of material things that tomorrow are discarded.  As the Queen song says 'I want it all and I want it now.'


God came to humanity on that first Christmas, not as a big Santa Claus laden with toys and gifts, but as a baby to bring real hope to the world and a way to live, sharing love with all.  Enjoy the gifts but remember why we give presents to those we love. Beyond the material gifts, what is our hope this Christmas?  What are my hopes for myself and my family?  Success at work, health, wealth, more things or something money can't buy?  Of course we need things - that's essential in 21st century Britain but we are really rich in a deeper sense if our hope is in something or someone beyond material wealth.