Back to it!!!

Well back to it today!!! Glad I had got everything ready but still always a suprise about how you feel. Preached today about the dignity of humanity that is shown because of the incarnation. Began the sermon by saying I was not going to preach the same sermon on this Sunday as last year, to be fair it got a laugh. I hope at least people understood what I was trying to say, which was we are important because we are loved by God, therefore we should love and look after ourselves and one another because we are children of God. Seems all to easy to say in a few lines but much more difficult to do. Two answerphone messages about funerals already, so back to it in every way!!!

Time out!

In the days since Christmas it has been good to be off. I have had time to reflect, eat well and catch up on my sleep. Though I have only been off for four days the complete change of routine and surrounding have I felt done me good. It has also been good to be away from the Church and to take time to pray and meditate on my own. I finished the Christmas Day Masses with just an enormous feeling of relief and could not wait to pack the car and escape. Sad that this is how Christmas makes you feel, but it is certainly the effect that it seems to have on me. Came home and tonight trimmed beard and unfortunately it looks that the Christmas over indulgence seems to have expanded my face once again. Oops more serious attempts at dieting I think!!!

Stop or Non Stop ?

I suppose the lack of posts on the blog this month says it all! It has just been non stop. Though at times I think advent demands more stop than non! So it was good on Saturday morning that the Fairacres Chronicle came it the post and I took the opportunity to sit down and to enjoy reading it. The one great theme that seemed to come out of it time and time again was STOP, BE STILL. LISTEN. So among all the Carol services, Christingle and general festivities there needs to be a time to stop and to listen to that still small voice. Thank God for the vocations of places like Fairacres and Crawley Down, these are two Anglican contemplative orders the first for women and the second a mixed community where I am a Probationary Associate. I hope that for 2008 I will learn the wisdom of stopping and of listening for that still small voice taking the opportunity to discern where God is leading me and taking suitable time to reflect. It was good to preside at the Said Mass this morning where there was an opportunity for space and for silence I pray that it will sustain me through what will be the busyiness of the next 24 hours!

Something is missing!!!!

As witnessed in a "Christmas" shop Nativity scene.