Today has been busy (again), starting with a staff meeting, time to catch up and reflect on the life of the Circuit, and a short time to pray together, I went on to take a school assembly. This assembly was for the upper half of the local primary school, I have a series of assemblies with them leading up to Christmas and am concentrating on accounts of Angels appearing in the Christmas narrative! I am trying to get away from the tinsel and tea-towel nativity plays to convey the awe and shock, and the enormity of the messages that the angels brought to Zacceriah, to Mary, to Joseph and to the Shepherds!I love story telling and adopt an interactive style, the children took on the angels voice today in the wonderful words " do not fear"- I was encouraged yesterday to meet one of the children in town who recounted to me the previous weeks story. It is an awesome privilege to share the wonders of the gospel with children- we must take care not to water it down in an effort to make it palatable!
Today I told of the angel visitations to Mary and Joseph, and was challenged as I thought through the story to consider the social impact it may have, this school has a number of single parent families within it, teenage pregnancies are not uncommon, not a few 6-7 year olds have mothers who are barely into their twenties! Would these children find through this story a way to identify with Jesus? I did not speak of age, but did emphasise that Mary was young, and spoke of her shock at finding out she would have a child , did any of these children know that their births were not planned, but were "shocks" for their mothers ? I wonder how many of these youngsters respond to these stories... why would God come to a poor home, why didn't he choose a palace? I hope that a fresh look at the familiar story over the next couple of weeks will help- all of this ends with the school Christingle Service on 18th December- parents and grandparents invited; it is usually quite an occasion!
This afternoon I had a meeting about an upcoming holiday club and then tried to complete some study, my mission assignment is complete, and I am now working on an assignment for the Christian God module- right now my brain is like sludge- I feel quite burned out, I don't so cold weather or winter well, and the dark nights are already getting me down.... cooking which is often an escape and a chance to be creative feels like an intrusion on the day... not helped by the fact that the dining room table has been submerged by Joannes chemistry course work, so we keep on eating in the living room... I hate this, we did make a special effort to access the dining room yesterday but today we are back to trays and TV!
I am grateful not to be preaching this weekend, and must take Dawn's advise and go to worship- too often I simply stay at home claiming a need for space if I am not preaching- but I recognise a need for worship, and right now I think that this wins out!
... and now, because I have not stopped all day I am going to crash in front of the TV, then because my feet are cold I am going to take a warm ( hot) bath and get to bed early... I need the sea....
