This morning I am writing a "sermon" - it isn't really a sermon but hey - for the local penties on "How Does Reflecting on Advent Affect our Spiritual Growth?" which is a kind of mish mash between what they wanted (something on spiritual growth) and what I'm thinking about (reflections for advent).

Way back when, when we were teenagers, my sister,who is dead clever, reckoned that if Christmas didn't exist, we'd have to invent it because December is is such a dreecht (spelling unkown!) time of year.  She's right of course, and a couple of decades (or three) later both she and I know we did invent it to supplant, subvert or some such the existing winter festivals of pre-Christian northern Europe.  Am I risking all in sharing this with the penties?  I hope not.

I have long loved Advent, it is a wonderful season of preparation and an opportuity to reflect on some great themes - whichever muddle of those on offer we end up with.  So I will be offering the penties something more of a talk, identifying the themes and suggesting that reflecting on them is good for us as we ponder afresh or again what Christmas is all about.

Week 1 - The God who comes (according to Baptist sources) - either 'Gods People' or 'The Second Coming' in most schemes.

Week 2 - The God who speaks (according to Baptiat sources) - either 'Bible Sunday' or 'The Prophets

Week 3 - The God who sends (Catriona extending the Baptist idea a bit) - 'John the Baptist' or 'Ministers' or 'Vocations'

Week 4 - The God who blesses (me again) - 'Mary the Mother of Jesus' or 'Women' or 'Lowly People'

At the same time, I am preparing our lunch time materials - a half hour quiet reflection for a group of about 8 - based on Nick Fawcett's 2007 offering Forgiving and Forgetting (published by Kevin Mayhew).  Since this is designed for a discussion group format, it has way too much material and some is unsuitable for us, but I do like the themes - Christmas is for giving, for getting, for forgiving, for forgetting.  Like any resource book some parts are stronger than others but there is plenty in there that we will use effectively, as each week people will be given a few verses of scripture to read and three "strands" of questions to choose from in their own reflection along with additional material to think about at home, if they so choose.

"How Does Reflecting on Advent Affect our Spiritual Growth?"  I can't answer for anyone else, but for me, it is a time I really value when, in amongst all the frenetic activity and the gathering dank darkness of December (which is a wonderful month actually, having many of my 'big' days in it) I can pause to focus back on God's goodenss and forward in Christian hope to find once more how these influence the present (she's off again!).