I used to have fairly regular 'open house' gatherings but somewhere along the line they dwindled away. So this is a good challenge for me - and I here and very publicly commit to working my way through the Church Directory next year so that everyone gets at least one invitation to my house...
Dear Catriona
So many of the best moments in life are shared with other people. Meeting together around a good meal is a fantastic way to build deeper and more meaningful relationships.
Hospitality is a central part of relationships, as we invite people to really get to know us in our own homes. On many occasions the Bible encourages us to show hospitality to one another – and not just those that we particularly get along with.
How can you show hospitality?
1 Offer to cook a meal for someone who is unable to cook for themselves Accept challenge >
2 Open your house to those who you might not normally invite over Accept challenge >
3 Commit to inviting people over regularly (at least once a month) next year Accept challenge >
A view from the Bible
"Above everything, love one another earnestly, because love covers over many sins. Open your homes to each other without complaining. Each one, as a good manager of God's different gifts, must use for the good of others the special gift he has received from God."
Our Advent in Narnia series concluded today (I was sorry to miss today's but alas two many plates to spin meant I was elsewhere).
It has been fun, with good attendances and a lovely atmosphere. We also raised £70 for the Christian AId CHristmas appeal, which will be matched by the UK Government, so that's pretty good too!
Oops, forgot to upload this earlier... was too busy with other things! And being busy took the easy option of text donation.
Dear Catriona
In a world of plenty, many still face a daily struggle just to get by. In England alone, the number of people sleeping rough has risen by at least 55% since 2010.
Poverty and inequality isn’t a new phenomenon. In fact, even some of the earliest-written parts of the Bible talk about caring for those in need.
Select your challenge!
1 Buy a blanket or some food and drink for someone sleeping rough Accept challenge >
3 Text ‘Hamper’ to 70500 to donate £5 and help give a food hamper and Bible stories to a UK family living in poverty this Christmas. If you don’t want Bible Society to contact you by phone in future, add the words NO INFO to your text. View our full terms and conditions. Accept challenge >
A view from the Bible
"Defend the rights of the poor and the orphans; be fair to the needy and the helpless."
Nice easy ones today, and one that I was planning to do anyway, so maybe I'll take on two! See what you think:
Dear Catriona
It’s easy to go through life and take for granted the things that make our life just that little bit easier. It could be the bus driver that takes you into town, or the childminder who looks after the children.
Whoever it is, how many times have you actually thanked them for what they do? In the Bible, Paul often starts his letters by thanking God for those he has met.
So, who will you engage with today?
1 Give a Christmas card to a shop or business you regularly use Accept challenge >
Five years ago, I saw a lot of the inside of the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre as a patient. Since then I've seen a fair deal more of it as a friend, as a volunteer, and as a minister. Over that time, what was once the ubiquitous 'friends of' chairty has emerged, butterfly like, as the Beatson Cancer Charity and is combining the challenge of on the ground support - from free drinks in waiting rooms, to complimentary complementary therapies and more - with fundraising for research at the Beatson Institute. I know oodles of people who have been treated at the Beatson, several who work, or have worked, there, and one employed by the charity.
So I am very thrilled that our joint serives of lesson and carols on Sunday will include a retiring offering for this charity.
I realise that if you are reading this in Auckland, NZ or Northampton, England, or somewhere else not Glasgow you can't come. But if you are in or near Glasgow and have nothing else planned, please do come along, sing some traditional carols, listen to adult and children's choirs, hear the old old story, and have some fun. And maybe bring a friend or neighbour too...
