Day 18 - thankful
Only a week to go till Christmas. Eeeeeeek! How did that happen?
I read a facebook quote thing this week which I thought was rather good. I probably wont be able to find it again to attribute it to someone, so apologies for that. But it said ' If I am ever asked to choose between my religion or my neighbour, I will choose my neighbour. God never told us to love our religion'.
When you think about that its actually quite a challenge isnt it? Because of course we do all love our ' religion' - despite the fact that we all loudly protest that we dont ' do' religion, we 'do' relationship. 😀 But you know what I mean. We love the freedom we have to worship in the West. We love the particular sort of church music we are into and the style of the service we attend. We love the people we meet with on a weekly basis. We love the programmes our churches run and the opportunities we get to serve. We love the chances we get to meet with God alongside our brothers and sisters. Do we love our neighbour more than we love all of that? Hmmmm. Speaking for myself Im not so sure I do.
I have a friend who works with adults with acquired brain damage. Over recent years she has felt the need to spend less and less time and money doing ' Christmas' stuff, and more time and effort making sure that the residents in the home have company and enrichment and friendship in their lives. She says, quite rightly, that Jesus never asked us to remember His birth. The older she gets the less she wants to engage with the whole spectacle and business of Christmas. The more she wants to be with people who are broken and needy. And its not just because she feels she can make a difference and bring joy to them ( she does ) but she knows full well that they will do the same for her.
Did you see the chap on BBC Breakfast this week who has spent the last 20 Christmas days on his own? When people heard about it they pulled out all the stops to make this year different - and in the process they reduced him and most of the people watching, to tears. In many ways it was a ' feel good' story. People rallying round for a complete stranger in the best spirit of the season. On the other hand it was a truly sad statement about the street and the community and the area in which that gentleman lived. 20 years of nobody there for him. No church, no groups, no friends prepared or able to offer him a place to go on Christmas Day. It is so easy to be invisible these days. Overlooked. Forgotten. And if you are single and alone at Christmas everything about the season for weeks running up to the 25th just serves to remind you of what you will be missing.
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/christmas/loneliness-uk-elderly-bbc-breakfast-christmas-tree-carols-dan-walker-a9243741.html
As the 25th draws closer and the coming week is full of posting and shopping and christmas partying let's try to keep it all in perspective. It's just a day. Lots of people, maybe some in our street, in our neighbourhood, in hospitals and residential homes, even in our church may be spending it alone, just like any other day. We are hugely blessed if we have a home, a table, a family and the resources to have a happy Christmas. I know I need to be a whole heap more thankful for what I have and mindful of those who dont.
I read a facebook quote thing this week which I thought was rather good. I probably wont be able to find it again to attribute it to someone, so apologies for that. But it said ' If I am ever asked to choose between my religion or my neighbour, I will choose my neighbour. God never told us to love our religion'.
When you think about that its actually quite a challenge isnt it? Because of course we do all love our ' religion' - despite the fact that we all loudly protest that we dont ' do' religion, we 'do' relationship. 😀 But you know what I mean. We love the freedom we have to worship in the West. We love the particular sort of church music we are into and the style of the service we attend. We love the people we meet with on a weekly basis. We love the programmes our churches run and the opportunities we get to serve. We love the chances we get to meet with God alongside our brothers and sisters. Do we love our neighbour more than we love all of that? Hmmmm. Speaking for myself Im not so sure I do.
I have a friend who works with adults with acquired brain damage. Over recent years she has felt the need to spend less and less time and money doing ' Christmas' stuff, and more time and effort making sure that the residents in the home have company and enrichment and friendship in their lives. She says, quite rightly, that Jesus never asked us to remember His birth. The older she gets the less she wants to engage with the whole spectacle and business of Christmas. The more she wants to be with people who are broken and needy. And its not just because she feels she can make a difference and bring joy to them ( she does ) but she knows full well that they will do the same for her.
Did you see the chap on BBC Breakfast this week who has spent the last 20 Christmas days on his own? When people heard about it they pulled out all the stops to make this year different - and in the process they reduced him and most of the people watching, to tears. In many ways it was a ' feel good' story. People rallying round for a complete stranger in the best spirit of the season. On the other hand it was a truly sad statement about the street and the community and the area in which that gentleman lived. 20 years of nobody there for him. No church, no groups, no friends prepared or able to offer him a place to go on Christmas Day. It is so easy to be invisible these days. Overlooked. Forgotten. And if you are single and alone at Christmas everything about the season for weeks running up to the 25th just serves to remind you of what you will be missing.
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/christmas/loneliness-uk-elderly-bbc-breakfast-christmas-tree-carols-dan-walker-a9243741.html
As the 25th draws closer and the coming week is full of posting and shopping and christmas partying let's try to keep it all in perspective. It's just a day. Lots of people, maybe some in our street, in our neighbourhood, in hospitals and residential homes, even in our church may be spending it alone, just like any other day. We are hugely blessed if we have a home, a table, a family and the resources to have a happy Christmas. I know I need to be a whole heap more thankful for what I have and mindful of those who dont.
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