A confession - I am not so sure about reading the 'Christmas story' more than a month before the event.  But that's where the book takes us and so today we meet the shepherds and angels on the hills, and a parallel with St Cuthbert who had a similar vision, which prompted him to begin a monastic life.

Shepherds as outsiders, a role that meant they were always on the edge, so that others might be at the very heart of Temple worship - afterall someone had to ensure the supply of sacrificial sheep/lambs.  A wise minister I knew once referred to ministers as 'intentiontal outsiders', as those who are voluntarily on the edge of the commnuity of which they may seem to be at the heart.

Today is the feast of Christ the King, the one Sunday I almost always take off (I preached it every year as a student and have done guest preaches on it a few times).  It is my 'intentional apartness' before the liturgical Advent season begins.  I wonder if, today, as I sit on my metaphorcial hillside (which includes attending a couple of services) I may encounter, unexpectedly, something of the glory of God.

The prayer we are offered for today:

Holy, good Shepherd, as you watch over your flock, of which I am a part, I trust that you know what is best for me, and I commit to getting to know your voice better and following you wherever you lead me.  Amen.

So, the only walks today were to the supermarket and to the recycling station... a day to rest and relax before Advent begins in earnest.  Sasha 'reading' a book... sleep, kitties and novels, a good way to spend a day.

If Advent gives us space simply to 'be' then that has to be a good thing... as illustrated by Sophie below!

Today it's birth stories - or their lack - that we are invited to reflect upon.

Two out of the four gospels have infancy narratives; one, Luke, actually explicitly refers to the birth... Matthew is more oblique reference about Joseph not having sexual relations with her until after the birth. And in Luke, it is 'half a verse': 'she gave birth to her firstborn, a son...' Just eight words in the NIV; six in the Greek NT I checked.

We all know how odd this story is, a deity born in obscurity, and seemingly so un-pass-remarkable that only Matthew (paralleling the story of Moses) and Luke (appealing to people of other faith backgrounds) even mention it.

I wonder how the Christ is born, or re-born in obscurity in the hearts and minds of people like us today?  I wonder what story we would choose to tell if we wrote our own gospel?

Today's prayer from the book:

God incarnate, as you took on human form and entered the world, you did so in a quiet and unassuming way.  The record of this actual moment is just one half of a Bible verse.  help me not to seek the glory of recognition for the things I do for you, for the exmaples of the works of light I embody.  May all glory be to God, the Creator of all. Amen

Today's walk took me over the meandering River Kelvin near "where the BBC used to be".

Meander seems a good word for Advent - it is't a straight line, shortest possible route from A to B, but a road that twists and turns, and sometimes reveals unexpected delights.

We are blessed to have two rivers is this this city, one wide and slowly making its way to the sea, the other narrow, twisty and with the odd weir or dam, to say nothing of a canal.  It all makes for wonderful walks of very different character.

"Travelling mercies" (or 'journeying mercies') is a phrase that I used to hear a lot in Christian circles.  In some pentecostal circles such prayers are still often heard for visiting preachers, and also for those setting out on long distance travel - far less so if you are getting the bus to town!

Today's reflection was on a jorney by coracle of three Celtic monks from Ireland to what is now England, set alongisde the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem.  I could not help but hear/read this in tension with the news of the young American missionary killed by the indigenous people of an island off the coast of India when he landed his canoe illegally on their shores.  Had he committed his travel plans to God?  Had people prayed journeying mercies for him? It is easy for me to read the news and see folly, even disrepsect, in his actions, but this was a young man convinced that he was doing that which God called him to do. 

Much pondering for me to do as these stories permeate my subconscious.

The prayer from the book:

Christ, when you were on earth, you walked many miles, travelling from town to town, walking in wildernesses and upon mountains. Wherever I journey today, Lord, may I be aware of your presence with me.  I place my travels into the divine hands and release them into the divine plan. Keep me safe, Lord, as I go from here to there, but above all, whateverhappebns, may I ever know you with me.  Amen.