From our Minister
‘Out of the Ordinary’ is the theme for this year’s Methodist Church Christmas resources. ‘Out of the Ordinary’ seeks to communicate how the wonder of God’s love is revealed in the ordinary… How a seemingly ordinary birth becomes God’s out of the ordinary world-saving event through Mary, Joseph, and Jesus (and the inn-keeper!). Every day, ordinary acts of kindness can break through to the extraordinary.
How can lines from the familiar Christmas carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem help reveal what is extraordinary but often overlooked in this Advent / Christmas season?
For example there’s the line, ‘So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven.’ This encourages us to look at ourselves in the mirror and ask, (not, what new wrinkles or spots have I acquired), but where do I see the divine reflected back at me? What of God has lodged itself in my life, my heart, for the good?
Or the phrase, ‘Yet in thy dark street shineth the everlasting light’. When out shopping, look at the people around you. Where do you notice the divine shining back at you? One of the Methodist Christmas postcards has us scratch off some Christmas decorations to reveal angel wings on the couple pushing the wheelchair of their daughter with disabilities, who also has her wings revealed.
Then there’s the line, ‘Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by.’ Dress warmly and tolerate the cold for a minute or two on a clear night. Look up at the world around you. Where do you see glimmers of the divine?
[Advent and Christmas are a good opportunity to connect with people who don’t normally attend church and who might come to a service in this Christmas season. Pass on a postcard from church and help others connect with the stories around Christ’s birth, as a wonderful way to hear the good news of the reality of God’s extraordinariness.]
Prayer
Advent God, help us as we prepare to celebrate Christmas, that most extraordinary of gifts: Christ dwelling among us. Let us open our ears to listen, our eyes to see, our hearts to love and our very beings to be enfolded in your Spirit. Let us listen and be open to our inner selves, to the world around us, to the sights, sounds, senses and the needs that surround us. Let us listen to your still small voice and be open to your indwelling Spirit. Let us be messengers of your good news that we have heard and let us be open, too, to listen to your good news that others share with us. Amen.
Revd. Fran
Toll Gavel United Church Beverley 