Sarah-Jane has rejoined us back at our flat once again. She was finding it very expensive to live where she did. Since coming back she has been a real blessing. We were getting a bit stuck in our ways and the flat and furniture were looking tired. She got us going to IKEA and spend some money.
We made one of the bedrooms a second lounge with another TV, etc. We added a sofa bed. Those that have slept on it so far have said how comfortable it is. We are glad, there is nothing worse than giving guests an uncomfortable night.
Christmas has been a brilliant time for me this year. I am leader of the Christian group at work and together we arranged for us to have a carol service in the church near to where I work. The Rector was most welcoming to us as a group. The others in the group asked me to do the talk.
I was surprised to find out 37 people had attended. That was a good number for a Friday evening event. This a transcript of my talk:
What is Christmas all about? Look over on the back of your sheet. Is it about a jolly fat man that comes once a year? Who has difficulty getting into a house, either by chimney, or whatever means, because he has had too many mince pies.
It’s all very well but the trouble with this man is he doesn’t stick around. We see him, (or maybe we don’t), once a year when he has left something under the tree. But after that special morning he disappears, not to be seen again for a whole eleven months until some impostors show up in department stores to encourage you to spend your hard earned money on things, you secretly admit, you don’t really need.
Not so the one we are celebrating today. He was promised from a long time ago. Mayor Ann Jackson read one of those promises; a promise of something big, something significant.
He chose not a major city, nor a big media event, but a backwater town, where it’s only claim to fame was it had the promise of God on it, or had a young shepherd boy called David live there.
This child, this Son, was going to stick around. He was going to be Immanuel, God with us. That is a promise too, from Isaiah 7, which the gospel writer Matthew quoted.
“The increase of His government and peace will know no end” we heard in the first reading. This speaks of continuation and permanence. Jesus was going to bring something about that was going to grow and stay.
How would this happen? Could a baby really do this?
Well, we know the rest of the story, don’t we? This baby grew up! And, after He was baptized, went around doing good and preaching the Good News of the kingdom; the Bible says.
He said seemingly audacious things like “God is my Father”, and “I and the Father are one”. Or things like “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Jesus wanted us to know He was going to stick around and had the authority and ability to do so; even death did not stop Him from keeping His promise because He was raised from the dead.
Some accepted; some did not. Those that did accept Him and his message where changed; changed from being fishermen, to being fishers of men. From being a penny pinching, thieving, tax collector, in the pocket of the Roman authority; to a writer of a book in the Bible. There are some here who can say that they have been changed too. They changed when Jesus met them at their darkest hour. And that’s the key: change.
Change comes from believing; from accepting who He is and what He had to say. That His Father could be your Father.
Christ kingdom grows by changing me, by changing you. Changing us on the inside, as Jesus said, like yeast in a lump of dough.
So as the last verse of that carol says:
"O holy Child of Bethlehem!
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in,
Be born in us to-day.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!"
Ask Jesus for change and know His presence with you.
About that time I was approached by several councilors for the group to get involved with carols around the tree in the Town Hall reception area. The public and staff where there listening. We thank God His name is being lifted up in the heart of council affairs.
Sarah-Jane has settled in and continues to be a blessing. Even over Christmas she took the reigns and got us all organised. She even found a cottage for us to stay in during Christmas week. Our family is growing and we had found it increasingly difficult to accommodate everyone satisfactorily. Our flat is certainly not big enough for everyone to stay with us. Last year was OK because Sarah-Jane had the vicarage, but now she wasn't there anymore it was no longer an option.
The cottage was in Cambridgeshire near Wisbech. It slept eight and was quite reasonably priced. With everyone contributing to it it would only cost each person £20.00 per night they stayed.
As we were all away we had to put the cats in a cattery. The most suitable one was one quite close to the cottage. It was a bit of ordeal for the cats to travel in the car all that way but they seem none the worse for it now they are home.
We had to go shopping when we arrived after a long 3-hour journey. We were a bit worried as Turkeys were in short supply. We got one eventually.
All of us (Richard, Fiona, Sarah Jane, Andrea and I) wanted to go to church in a nearby village on the Sunday. Looking at the map it seemed near enough to walk to. The Sunday morning was crisp and frosty so it was nice to walk in, though had a few problems finding the footpath across the fields.
We met some friendly horses on the way. They were very much interested in who we were and what we were doing. Andrea got a bit spooked. We laughed because she was thinking they were chasing her.
After about 45 minutes we got to the church. It had taken a bit longer than thought so we arrived slightly late. As with old Church of England Churches you can't really enter quietly. The door clanged as we opened it and on entering everyone looked round. We felt a bit embarrassed.
Still, we got into the swing of the service and sung the carols with gusto. Some of the congregation kept looking round. I wondered what I had done wrong, but afterwards one of them came up to us and said how much they enjoyed our singing and "you should be in a choir with voice like that", we were quite flattered.
On the Sunday afternoon Kieren and Jenny eventually arrived. Like us it had taken quite a while for them to get from London to here. They did get a bit lost as well so Richard and I got in the car and went out to hunt for them. We were not sure if we would succeed in finding them, however we did and they followed us to the cottage.
The fact he had got lost got me thinking what to buy him for Christmas. He was very surprised to open a Sat Nav on Christmas morning. He should not get so lost in the future.
For chores and meals everyone chipped in and helped; Sarah-Jane got different couples to produce a meal for everyone on different days. Andrea's brother, Brian, used to be a chef, so he and Sarah-Jane cooked Christmas meal proper. Delicious!
The TV was only a small thing in the lounge. It was OK because one thing we like to do as a family is play board games. Some get very competitive.
Andrea's parents were there also.
Because the car was so crammed it was down to me to travel home by train afterwards. This Andrea driving and Sarah-Jane to help her. Just like when we were going it took an awfully long time for them to get home but thankfully they returned home safely.
My journey on the train was relatively uneventful except for the love countryside whizzing past and a group of football supporters were in fine voice as they got on and when they got off.
