Next Sunday sees the start of the crazy season of Advent.. and crazy it surely will be...

ADVENT 1 (30)
I am teaching all day on Zoom

Church will all-age and very messy, be centred on wreath-making; the leader has promised to make me a wreath :)

ADVENT 2 (7)
We have an infant blessing, toy service (collecting gifts for Salvation Army appeal) and Communion

ADVENT 3 (14)
In the morning we have a 'pop-up' nativity

In the evening we have our first ever Community Carol Festival with stroke survivors' choir, community centre choir, church choir, and Brownies.

THURSDAY 18
We are hosting a Radio Stoke Coffee Morning

ADVENT 4 (21)
Morning we have traditional lessons & carols using Christian Aid material

Evening we Carols by Candlelight (or Candles by Carol light!!)

CHRISTMAS EVE
Our now traditional (it's the third year!) Christingle

CHRISTMAS DAY
Celebration Service

Small wonder I don't have the energy for evening reflections this year. It will feel a little odd not logging onto Zoom at 9p.m. every night, but after five years, I think it is time for a rest. I will enjoy what we do have - and hope that others will enjoy it too.

(Photo was from Advent 4 2020, 'Zurch')

This week has been, and continues to be, very full, with early starts and late finishes.  It has also been a week when winter began fully take its grip, although, unlike last year, as yet no snow in these parts.  Since completing my Race for Refugees in September, I have continued walking the three miles or so each from central Manchester to the vicar school, meaning that two or three days a week I am guaranteed to get nine or ten miles of walking (this week fitted around nine or ten hours of working!).  At the moment, it is just about light when I reach college, and yesterday was a lovely (if shepherd/sailor worrying) sky.

Making or taking time to pause, to admire something of the natural world is a good thing, a chance to re-centre and find a bit of equilibrium amidst the hurl-burly of academic, pastoral, professional and trustee responsibilities.

Searching for Hymns for Advent 2 (my next preach) I came access this beautiful hymn based in Isaiah 11: 1 - 10 which can be sung to 'Jerusalem' or 'Ye Banks and Braes' (I found a gorgeous version recorded by someone called Josh Garrels but I can't persuade YouTube to let me share it here... maybe try your favourite music streaming service!)

O day of peace that dimly shines
through all our hopes and prayers and dreams,
guide us to justice, truth, and love,
delivered from our selfish schemes.
May swords of hate fall from our hands,
our hearts from envy find release,
till by God's grace our warring world
shall see Christ's promised reign of peace.

Then shall the wolf dwell with the lamb,
nor shall the fierce devour the small;
as beasts and cattle calmly graze,
a little child shall lead them all.
Then enemies shall learn to love,
all creatures find their true accord;
the hope of peace shall be fulfilled,
for all the earth shall know the Lord.

Carl P Daw, Jr (born 1944) © 1982 Hope Publishing Company.

Theology, Ministry & Mission... that's what we teach academically at vicar school, alongside and incorporating ministerial formation for a number of traditions.  But just what do we mean by those words?

Yesterday was a day that seemed to capture something of the essence as it really was a bit of everything...

I preached on the Lectionary readings of Isaiah 65: 17 - 25 and 2 Thessalonians 3: 6 - 13 about the God of hope who rejoices in all that God has made, about the vision of a new or renewed creation characterised by flourishing for all life... and about the need for us to get stuck in and help bring it to pass.

As part of the service we prayed with and for two people we've been supporting to differing degrees in the asylum process, one moving elsewhere to dispersal accommodation (which they are pleased about), one staying put in permanent accommodation (which they are delighted with).  We are also just starting to get to know another who has been dispersed here.

We had a fire drill - and with real good humour everyone cleared the building and assembled in under two minutes.  We learned how we could do this even better another time.

We are lunch together - delicious veggie and meaty stews with pickles, followed by apple sponge and cream. And as part of this raised money for Home Mission.

In coming weeks, we will hold a toy service, gathering gifts for people trapped in poverty; we will host a radio Stoke Christmas Coffee Morning; we will hold our first Community Carol Festival; we will make Advent wreaths as an act of worship, we will sing carols by candlelight, and we will hold a Christingle Service - and more besides.

This is mission.  This is ministry... Messy, unpredictable, costly and courageous.  And the God who dreams of a renewed creation abso-bloomin'-lutely loves it! 

Today, as I do when I am not preaching on a 'second Sunday' I was helping with out Messy Sunday School - we use Messy Church (and other) resources and adapt them for out context.  Today the children had opportunity to make poppies from play-doh and from paper, among other activities designed to help them engage with Remembrance.

We learned about the meanings of different colours of poppies, and why people might choose to wear them.  I learned something new too - as black poppies weren't something I could recall hearing about before...these recall the lives of African, and African heritage people whose lives were lost in wars.

Today I stumbled across this tweet from RBL about poppies which seems helpful...