Eternal Echoes

Pre- Christmas gathering

family Christmas picture 009cropped
Originally uploaded by Sally's journey.

We had fun yesterday with our family and various boyfriends and girlfriends plus a few others who seem to live with us! We enjoyed a meal together, talked, laughed and generally had fun!

Tim's parents have requested a formal family photo; we didn't manage that yesterday, but we did manage to take a few memorable shots of the festivities!!!

It was really good to hear my children talking and laughing together last night, I think they have gained a new appreciation for one another having all been apart over the last few months.

This morning I enjoyed leading an All-Age Carol Service, and am looking forward to leading this evening's reflective service ( with t-lights, but not stones)!

All in the build up to my favourite moment of the year; receiving Communion at mid-night mass, I am assisting this year so that makes it even more special.

As for the serious photo- well maybe another day!!!

Assignment blogging

I woke up ( 5:00am) with bits of assignment floating through my brain and refusing to be silenced and so I decided the best thing to do would be to get up and start writing! It is probably a good thing because the assignment is due in on the 7th January, and I have completed very little of it so far. It is also frustrating because having stated that I was writing about Theodicy I have written about accompaniment and self awareness instead, but in some ways I guess that is one of the beauties of reflective practise- it is  revelatory. So now I am pondering, do I go back and re-write my introduction, or in the analysis do I explain how the reflection unfolded into something quite different, and whist retaining elements of Theodic thinking, the problem of suffering moved from being the central theme.

My main source for this piece has been John Swinton's Raging with Compassion- looking at the history of pastoral practise in relation to Theodicy he speaks of how we have moved away from embracing suffering as simply being part of life- and allowing for mystery within an eschatalogical framework, to being people of the moment, who reject suffering as evil, and as such search for answers. He tells of how advances in medicine have removed death and dying from our everyday experience; people die in hospitals safely removed from our sight, not that advances in medicine or hospitals are wrong, simply that there was a paradigm shift in thinking that came with the enlightenment, to a large extent rejecting mystery and forming a different eschatalogical viewpoint.

This is all too much at 7:30am...I think I'll make a cup of tea....

                            

It is almost Christmas Friday 5

RevHRod over at revgals says; I have debated with myself for weeks about today's Friday Five.

• Self 1: It should be deep and theological.
• Self 2: But it's almost Christmas, it should be fun and warm and sweet.
• Self 1: But your last Friday Five was sort of silly. You should show your more serious side.
• Self 2: You worry WAY too much!

So after consulting with my fourteen year old daughter, we're going playful, pals o' mine! I love stories, so I hope you'll tell some about your favourite Christmas memories.

1.What was one of your favourite childhood gifts that you gave:

A copper ornamental kettle to my mum, it was the first gift I had saved for purchased and given all by myself. I remember the excitement of choosing and wrapping and keeping a secret, it felt terribly grown up!!!

2.What is one of your favourite Christmas recipes? Bonus points if you share the recipe with us.

Anzac biscuits (cookies), we make them every Christmas and wrap them in decorated boxes as gifts for friends and family.

1 cup regular oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup stick margarine, melted
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons golden cane syrup (such as Lyle's) or light-coloured corn syrup
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 325°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl; stir well. Add margarine, water, and syrup; stir well. Drop by level tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 325° for 12 minutes or until almost set. Remove from oven; let stand 2 to 3 minutes or until firm. Remove cookies from baking sheets. Place on wire racks; let cool completely.

3.What is a tradition that your family can't do without? (And by family, I mean family of origin, family of adulthood, or that bunch of cool people that just feel like family.)

Midnight mass, quite simple really- if we can't get there we celebrate together, I am assisting serving communion this year, so that will be really special.

4.Pastors and other church folk often have very strange traditions dictated by the "work" of the holidays. What happens at your place?

We eat our meal and open our gifts in the evening on Christmas day- it helps us to savour the day, and not to be rushed off our feet.

5.If you could just ditch all the traditions and do something unexpected... what would it be?

Ditch traditions? really.... no sorry I like the traditions too much- no tradition ditching here!

This post comes with warm wishes to all who read it, may your Christmas be peaceful and joyful.

An outrageous story - background

The three meditation's entitled an outrageous story are for the service this Sunday evening, they will replace the sermon and will be woven in and out of advent carols. I hope that I have caught something of the story, trying to see things from a slightly different perspective. I am passionate about recapturing the wonder and the mystery and the sheer outrageousness of the incarnation, there will be an opportunity for folk to respond creatively, placing themselves into the story by embracing the wonder, and wrapping the Christ-child in love. Each one will be given a strip of cloth as they enter the church, and invited at the end of the third meditation to come forward to the manger at the front of the church and to place their strip of cloth over the manger, together weaving and forming a blanket of love. As they do this I will hand each one a tea-light to light, and to take home symbolising Christ's light come into our lives- an outrageous story, and outrageous truth!!!

                                                 

An outrageous story (part 3)- The Inkeeper's wife

My name is Marta, you don't normally hear me spoken of, but I am caught up in this outrageous story all the same!

I'll never forget that evening, it changed my life forever, it was late, and the Inn was bursting at the seems with guests, forced to travel away from their homes because of the Roman decree. They wanted to make sure that everyone paid their taxes!

So there I was rushed off my feet with an Inn full of grumpy guests, guests who'd rather be at home, when another knock came at the door Zedi steeled himself to turn yet more people away, so many people looking for rooms, some of them would be sleeping on the street tonight!

He returned to the kitchen where I was preparing a huge pot of stew, and asked me for blankets, he told me of this couple who had a strange air about them, she young and heavily pregnant ( bloody Roman's making her travel!), he was older and anxious. Zedi was a good man and it pained him that all we could offer was the stable, we'd already given up our bed and would be sleeping in the kitchen tonight, but he'd done what he could and directed them to the stable, and now he was bust finding blankets and a lamp, he would do what he could.

Later on I took them some stew, one look at the young woman's face told me that her baby would be born that night. I'd have turned some of the other guests out if I hadn't been concerned about a riot, they were not a happy group as I've said!

I looked in on them before I went to bed, her labour pains had begun, they promised to call me when they needed help, he shouldn't have been there of course, a man attending a childbirth- it was not right, this was women's business!

It wasn't the man that woke me though, it was the shepherds, laughing and shouting and kicking up a fuss! I went out to tell them to be quiet, and they were chattering about angels and a baby, such outrageous nonsense, something about a Saviour being born, right here in our stable.

Drunk I thought, mad and drunk! Then I remembered the couple in the stable, had their baby been born? Why hadn't he come for help? I walked to the stable and let myself in, they were all awake, Mary and Joseph ( I found out their names at last), and the tiny new-born, they were going to name him Jesus.

They were exhausted but excited, and as I cradled the child in my arms she told me their story, their outrageous story. I looked at the infant again, he squinted at me blurry eyed, could it be that those eyes were the eyes of God?

An outrageous story (part 2) Elizabeth

I wasn't shocked, angels with messages about babies were becoming a common occurrence in my life. Only months before Zacharias had come home with his own strange story, he hadn't spoken though, he couldn't, but he couldn't stop smiling either.

We were going to have a baby, my shrivelled body was going to carry a child, my barrenness was over, I was truly blessed! So when Mary came shyly to my door, when the baby within me lept as if for joy, I knew she had a story to tell.

It was outrageous, this young girl, this virgin was with child! We sat to talk and she poured out her story, how she had been afraid at first as the angel spoke, then elated at the wonderful news Israels Saviour was to be born at last, and she had been chosen to carry God in her womb. She spoke of a certainty about conception, a sense that she was different, yet not defiled, she spoke of her mother's shock, her father's anger, and Joseph's disbelief. She told of how this good man, soon to be her husband had also been visited an angel and had promised to marry her, to care for her and this special baby! So many stories of angels with stories about babies, outrageous stories!

She stayed a while, her belly and breasts grew round and full, my time to give birth drew near, and she needed to travel home before the journey became to dangerous for her. Reluctantly we parted, knowing ourselves caught up in an eternal story, a wonderful story, and outrageous story.

                                       

An outrageous story (part 1)- Mary's mother

She'd always been a good girl our Mary, not perfect, but good, she had a cheeky side to her when she was small, she liked playing tricks on us, or making little gifts and hiding them where she knew we would find them. Mary liked to make people smile! She was also a dreamer, she loved stories and would often make up her own, as she grew older she liked to tell her stories to the younger children who would hang eagerly on her every word.

But this was different, this was  an outrageous story, this was a shocking story, this story of an angel messenger and a baby. Outrageous, shocking and far fetched. She'd always been such a good girl! Yet there she stood, open faced speaking quietly and calmly, with none of her usual storytelling flourish, terrible words falling from her lips.

I didn't know what to say; congratulations hardly seemed appropriate, she had broken one of the most solemn commandments, and she had dishonoured us, her parents, brought shame upon us. She'd always been such a good girl.

When I found my voice I started asking questions, when was this baby due? In nine months time she said, well then I knew that this whole thing was impossible, nobody knows straight away, it must have been a dream, perhaps she was worried about her forthcoming marriage. Yes that would be it, we needed to have a woman to woman talk.

I stepped forward to hug her, to reassure her, she hugged me back, I suggested we should sit and talk.

She said it wasn't a dream, and I wasn't to worry, didn't I remember the prophecies about a virgin birth. I was even more worried now- was she going mad, had her mind turned? No matter how I tried to reason with her she stuck to her story.

Then I began to worry, what would Joseph say, they were due to be wed next month, this would change everything. I began to plan what to do, my mind was working quickly, I'd send her to Elizabeth her cousin, Elizabeth loved Mary, she'd get to the bottom of this outrageous story if anyone could....

She'd always been such a good girl our Mary, how could this be true?

                                 

love

Love remains;

it holds,

enfolds .

and never leaves.

Love

cannot be

held by time

or space

but holds

to love,

for love

is all,

forever

all!

Hannah's balloons

Hannah's balloons
Originally uploaded by Sallys journey.

Today, we relaesed balloons in memory of a brave and beautiful little girl. There were more than a few tears as they soared heavenward, gone all too quickly it seemed. This shot was taken from the school playground.

Her class mates had written their thoughts on stars.

to look beyond

I lift my eyes

To see

Beyond the present

Beyond the turmoil

Of my heart

And mind,

I lift my eyes

In hope.

.

Call me on

Let my ears pick out

The music of promise

Call me on

To dance

In the rhythms of grace

Call me on.

.

Jesus said, “in this world you will have troubles, take heart I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33)

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