Oscar Romero said/wrote this…
No one can celebrate a genuine Christmas
Without being truly poor.
The self-sufficient, the proud,
Those who, because they have everything,
Look down on others, who have no
Need even of God – for them there
Will be no Christmas.
Only the poor, the hungry,
Those who need someone to come on their behalf,
Will have that someone.
That someone is God – with – us.
Without poverty of spirit there can be no abundance of God.
We did an advent reflection in a the lift for a youth work training event last week. Below is the story we used but you can find the whole card here
The Waiting Room – How do you wait?
In a hot crowded waiting room full of noise and bustle you find yourself a seat. Do you sit away from people or next to them? Or do you sit near the exit, watching as people enter and leave? Perhaps you pick up an old magazine and leaf through it, idly looking at the pages but not actually seeing, always being alert to those around you. Or maybe you sit and think, running through lists or things to do when you leave. You might worry about the future or what lies for you behind that closed door.
You may wait expectantly, anticipating the answer to come soon, or you may know that your wait is a long one, maybe with no answer at the end. So how do you wait? As the world passes by you and round you, what is in the stillness of your mind, how is your spirit stirred?
Whether you find waiting easy or difficult we all have times in our lives where we just have to—wait.
I live in a multi ethnic community, where people belong to many different religions. Recently there was an event to mark the start of Eid , Davila and very soon Hanukah. All these religious festivals are openly talked about in my son’s school and celebrated but you can’t find celebrations for Christmas anywhere? On a local poster all the above religious festivals are mentioned but not Christmas – Santa is on it and words like winter festivities or festival of lights, but Christmas is never mentioned. In my son’s school they are going to do play about a baby – but as yet the word ‘Christ’ has not been mentioned.
You can tell by now that I am a little pissed off about this. Who is against Christmas? I don’t think the other religious faiths are? So who is it – is it big business or people who are trying to be politically correct – why is Christmas so offensive? Is it because it has ‘Christ’ in the title? I don’t know. Any ideas….??
The discussion and threads on James last post is great. The discussion has moved towards questions around what it means to be/live/ an authentic christ like life.
I wonder if it possible to look at what this means for us. We have touched on issues of honesty, non dualist approachs, open relationships…. What would be the top three phrases, statements or questions that you would see as core. Or if you like – what would a rule of life look like to you/us that was centred on trying to live more christ like?
From the discussion so far I am leaning towards
The need to embrace our shadow, be open with others to understand ourselves lessen how far this shadow is cast, and to love and serve christ in the moment.
“THE AGE OF UNREASON. Old golfers don’t win (it’s not an absolute, it’s a general rule). Why? The older golfer can hit the ball as far as the younger one. He chips and putts equally well. … So why does he take the extra stroke that denies him victory? Experience. He knows the downside, what happens if it goes wrong, which makes him more cautious. The younger player is either ignorant or reckless to caution. That is his edge. It is the same with all of us. Knowledge makes us play safe. The secret is to stay childish.� Source: Paul Arden, Whatever You Think Think the Opposite
I found this on YouthBlog and wondered if I could use it as a new advert for the detached work roadshows.
My son Fraser (shown in the photo in the pdf) came up with a design for DIY Greenbelt Seminar Floor Chairs. The instructions (pdf) are here.
Getting ready for Greenbelt and really looking forward to the weekend as the line up looks great. When start looking at the programme I usually find it is either year when the speakers are the main attraction or the music but this year I cant decide as both look great. BUT as ever the best thing about Greenbelt is catching up with people.
If you are coming to Greenbelt and would like to camp in roughly the same area as us, we have a map and grid reference, we cant save you space but it may mean we have more chance of bumping into you over the weekend (probably queuing for the loo rather than the beer tent as we have the children with us). If you are interested then drop me an email and I will send out the details.
Just watched Napoleon Dynamite. What a great film. I know sometimes I catch on late and it is already a bit of a cult classic, but worth finding and watching if you haven’t seen it. Loads of resources for the youth worker as well. Would make my top ten films of all time.
