Categories: church
Date: 22 December 2009 12:37:25
Just popping my head over the parapet to affirm that there is life after the dissertation...
I always knew Advent was going to be busy in parochial ministry. Now I really KNOW it is busy.
That being said, I have a relatively clear day today. The Vicar and I are off to the local old people's home this afternoon to bring seasonal cheer and the Sacrament, but after that (and evening prayer), I think I may have a free evening. Tomorrow we make the Christingles (with the help of the Brownies and Guides - eep!) and then Christmas Eve.
Christmas Eve is a bit of a marathon. Two of the Churches have joined together for their evening service, but that still leaves three 'midnight' services running from 8.30pm to 12.30am. The Christingle is at 4.30pm and may be the biggest service of the year. The puzzling thing round here is that people don't want a Christmas morning service. We only have one Christmas Day service, at 9.30am and then that is it.
Advent has been lovely - watching the candles in the Advent rings light one by one, (I think we lit the pink one in the wrong week, but no-one seems to mind), going through advent reflections and services. The really jarring note has been all the Christmas services and concerts - I love Christmas carols and definitely value the integration with the community, but it is the mental effort to return to an advent frame of mind over and over again that is the struggle. It is sort of like - "He's here" "No he's not" "Yes, here again" "Still waiting for Him". But then on a larger scale, I suppose that is what happens with every turn of the season. Bit different when it happens twice a day for a month.
What can we do as a Church? Do we give in and announce Christmas early? Put the twelve days of Christmas starting on the 14th? If we ban all Christmas carols and celebrations until after the 25th then it becomes difficult for people to see the joy of Christmas within all the 'stop that'. A previous incumbent here tried that approach and it did not go down well. There is part of me that wants to object that Christmas is 'ours' - it belongs to the Christians. In reality, of course, the midwinter feasting is probably older than Christianity, so the secular celebrations are as valid, if not more so. The only way that I can see to be Christian about it all is to join in, be glad that people still ask 'the Church' to be involved in celebrations and take the opportunity to share the good news. Waiting for Jesus is not meant to be easy.