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!).

By Hilary Taylor, published by Thankful Books (c) 2007

Today through the post came my complimentary copy of this book, as one of the contributors of a 'snapshot' story, which features in the chapter on buildings.

I was quite impressed by what I wrote way back in spring/summer 2006.

With chapters headed

1. Worship
2. Following and Serving Jesus Wholeheartedly
3. Being God's People
4. Mission, Growth and Change
5. Vision and Leadership of a Small Church
6. Children and Young People in a Small Church
7. Working Together
8. Places to Worshipand Witness (with a fantastic case study by a certain minister from Dibley)
9. Help and Resources

There ought to be something useful for many or most smaller churches.

It's quite humbling to find my words in there with those of other people who I'm sure pray better, read their Bible more earnestly and pastor more effectively than I do.

 Available from Associations price £7.95 - ideal Christmas gift for your local diaconate!!!!

Blue text added 20/11/2007.  Having now read through the book - not thoroughly granted - I'd offer a few criticisms of it, notably the very male language in many of the 'snapshots' especially where written by non-ministers - such as referring to 'the preacher' exclusively as 'he'.  I am a little surprised that the editting has not addressed this, since the BU Small Churches group are actually pretty hot on this, and my understanding is that a disproprotionate number of small church ministers are female, so if there is any generalisation maybe it should be to 'she'!

There is a good resources section at the back of the book, but one or two of the organisations listed represent very specific constituencies within the church, and others are perhaps equally conspicuous by their absence. 

There is even what appears to me to be either an error in, or London-centric approach to, Baptist structures as a layer of associating I don't recognise is included (What's a District?).

Overall, a useful book for small churches, which affirms their value whether they grow numerically or not.  There is an underlying apologetic that 'small can be beautiful' even though there are stories of churches aiming to reach mega-status.

So, the Church of England is to condsider offering  offer 'conscientious objector' status to those who oppose the appointment of women bishops 'similar to that given to pacifists during the two world wars' (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2896628.ece)

Setting aside, my views on the issue of women bishops, I don't have a problem with conscience clauses.  I do have a problem with the equation of this with pacifist conscientious objection.  My uncle spent World War II in jail because of his decision not to partake in war, and he was hardly unique.  Will these Anglicans be similarly denied their freedom?  No!  I suspect that as with the orginal ordination issue some nice arrangement will be found for them to stay in post and enjoy the security of those who agree with them.   I don't think it's a good parallel, sorry.

In a broken and disordered world, conscience clauses do seem to be needed, they are a way that allows individuals to stay in relationship when they honestly hold views that put them on the edge of a mainstream - URC ministers who don't endorse paedobaptism, Anglicans who don't endorse the ordination of women.  I am glad, truly glad, that the BU requires its Regional Ministers to accept the ordination of women (pretty basic in a Union that has been ordaining us for about 80 years) but know the tensions that arise because local churches have the liberty to refuse to appoint women - a church notionally in our cluster has nothing to to with us because 3 out of 6 churches have women ministers.  Conscience clauses are not the solution, but they do keep some level of open relationship without denying disagreement.

Lastly, how can you ordain women and not permit women bishops?  Forgive me, I'm a heretic I know, but you either ordain women or you don't.

Oh, I'm glad I'm a Baptist!  We might get ourselves into horrid knots, we might avoid scary topics, but somehow we seem to manage, on the whole to keep talking to each other despite our differences and without the need to resort to special dispensations over this or that bit of doctrine.

This is probably rather rant-ish, sorry, just needed to let off a bit of steam!

Tonight the BBC dramatisation of 'Cranford' starts.  Knowing that Cranford is based on Knutsford, where I used to work, I was curious to see where it had been filmed and checked the BBC website... it was filmed in Laycock, West Wycombe, Oxfordshire, Ashbridge and Shepperton... anywhere rather than Cheshire it seems.  But then I do recall back in the 1980's that parts of 'Empire of the Sun' were filmed in Knutsford because it was evidently a good likeness for China...  just not enough like itself I guess.  So much for authenticity!

Almost three days off work - just the kids' club on Friday night, which turned out to be less fraught than usual.  It has been really good to do the kind of things that my 'normal' friends do over a weekend, and dare I actually confess to being in a supermarket on a Sunday...?  Well I was, but more of that later.

Being part of a large, at least by 21st century standards, extended family means Christmas is a large task.  Being a minister of a small church, who happens to take Christmas seriously, means that if you don't get the shopping done early, it doesn't happen.  Maybe I'm just very sad, but I actually enjoyed spending most of two days choosing, buying and wrapping gifts for my family and friends.  It was good to make, and take, the time to put myself into their shoes and think what they would enjoy receiving; I do give a lot of money gifts to the older nephews/nieces and Godsons, but I honestly think that is what they prefer - better than some ghastly item I might choose anyway.  I also enjoy selecting the wrapping paper and creating the surprises.  A long job, but worthwhile - just have to make all the practical arrangements for deliveries anywhere between Cheshire and Cambridgeshire and to fit around police, hospital, college and warehousing schedules...

I also spent two evenings writing Christmas cards - unusally the list was slightly shorter this year due to elderly relatives dying - but again I enjoyed choosing and writing cards for friends, colleagues past and present, and of even the 'duty' ones for church!  Some folk I only ever contact at Christmas, and I do wonder if we'd even know each other if me met, having last seen each other as much as 20 years ago (scary!) but there is a sense of connection and continuity as we exchange these greetings which, for me anyway, are more than habit.  Happy memories come to mind of 'my' girls now grown up with children (scary again), of jobs well done, of customers satisfied, of challenges completed, of laughter shared; even of difficult moments survived.

It was also a chance to spend some time in the kitchen.  I'm not exactly a keen cook, but one of the things I miss since leaving the 'real world' is the opportunities to bake mince pies for work!  In my last employment it was something of a tradition - one I took over from another (female) colleague - that we had homemade mince pies at Christmas.  No one 'expected' it to be done, it was something we enjoyed, part of the office camraderie that went along with Team Leaders (of which I was one) taking their staff out for drinks and the retired (and gone-to-be-ministers) staff coming back for the office Christmas lunch (I still get invited back even now...).  There are good reasons why I don't bake for church, but I'm not bad at pastry and I miss doing it... so today was the first batch of mince pies in years, and they turned out not too bad considering and will feed my Advent pray-ers in the next little while.

Oh, and why was I in the supermarket today?  I had managed to melt the flex on my slow cooker yesterday evening (don't ask!) and needed a replacement in time to make soup for Advent prayers which start in just over a week.  Yes, I could have waited until next shopping trip, but it was pouring with rain so a walk was out of the question and there was nothing I wanted to see at the cinema...  I also remember something about Sabbath being for people, not vice versa - my day spent baking and writing cards was space to be, to reflect on the blessings in my life, and I'm pretty sure God was OK with it.

Simple pleasures, for sure, but having been told by a well meaning friend this week that she worrried about my 'empty life' (by which she meant it was endlessly full of church stuff and not a lot else) it has been good to be reminded of what gives me pleasure and what gives value out of all the busyness.  As far as I can tell, all ministers in small churches (and probably most in big churches too) end up on some kind of treadmill.  As I reflected on what my friend said, I concluded that it isn't just that I'm a workaholic churchaholic, but that actually, it is church and work I talk about because that seems more important, or is more what we have in common, than other stuff.  So, if you've been generous enough to read this far, now you know that I find pleasure in very simple things ... and I'll email you a virtual mince pie if you ask nicely!