hustle and bustle of ‘getting ready’ for Christmas? What value can we bring
to the people we serve here in Castlemilk Kings Park and beyond?
Should I buy a huge amount of Christmas lights for the outside of the
building, should I have ‘Jingle Bells’ playing constantly from the roof, or hire a
Santa Clause to stand outside wishing people ‘Merry Christmas’, should I
promise free presents to all who come to the Christmas services, or have a
massive party with lots to drink and eat.
What should I wear for Christmas day, how much money can St Oswald’s
spend on delivering the perfect Christmas? What makes you want to be in
church when you could be at the shops buying the perfect Christmas?
Answers on a post card please
As a Christian I delight in telling the Nativity story to people old and young,
that simple message of promise and surprise, of struggle and joy. A story for
rich and poor alike, a story that brings a warm spirit when it is told.
I enjoy preparing for the days when the crib is set up, when the wise men
make their way around the church and Jesus appearing in the crib on
Christmas morning.
I love the children and adults lighting the advent candles and telling the story
of each one. The church fathers, the prophets, John the Baptist, Mary, and
last but not least Jesus Christ. His is a candle of pure white positioned in the
centre of the wreath, exactly where Jesus belongs in our lives.
I enjoy making merry and celebrating the birth of Christ, and the slow
lengthening of the days after the winter solstice. I enjoy being with family and
remembering the year past, I definitely enjoy the feast, and my clothes
becoming tight around the waist.
However; I don’t EVER write happy Xmas on cards or want to read that!
I delight in the fact that it is Christ’s Mass that we keep.
Not an x that in years past may have been short hand for His name, but now
is just plain laziness. Let us as Christians make an effort to keep Christ in
Christmas this year. Let us go and enjoy ourselves at the shops and parties,
but never forget that Jesus the baby