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I first heard ‘Sweet Little Jesus Boy’ many years ago; I’ve rediscovered it recently. It was written in 1934 by Robert MacGimsey, a white man heavily influenced by the spirituals and gospel music of the Black church community he grew up in Louisiana. The story goes that one snowy Christmas Eve MacGimsey walked past drunkenContinue reading “Sweet Little Jesus Boy”

I was given several books for Christmas – including ‘A Burning in my Bones’ – Winn Collier’s biography of Eugene Peterson. Eugene recalls early memories, working in his dad’s butcher’s shop: ‘The people who came into our shop were not just customers. Something else defined them. It always seemed more like a congregation than aContinue reading “Gently, Safely, Carefully.”

We were sitting round the table eating and chatting. Eleven-year-old grandson-Luca declared that he was a ‘pre-teen’; nineteen-year-old grand-daughter Hannah, looking forward to her next birthday declared that she was a pre-twenty-er. Luca asked daughter-Jo about when she completes her ministerial training. She explained that she’ll be a ‘reverend’. So the principle is that we’reContinue reading “Difficult questions, with Luca, Brian and John.”

It’s Boxing Day. Our family Christmas Day went really well. We exchanged wonderful presents – socks, books, games, puzzles… We enjoyed an excellent Christmas dinner – turkey, sprouts, bread sauce, trifle… All was great – it was a lovely day… similar to our Christmases in previous years, similar to other families across the country. WhatContinue reading “Looking for the Extraordinary Within the Ordinary”

Patience… Reminders… the patience of students waiting for the end of term… actors rehearsing their Christmas show, waiting for their performance… children waiting to see what Santa has brought them… ‘It’s only two sleeps to Christmas!’ The Christmas story… the patient wait of centuries for long awaited Messiah… Mary’s pregnancy – nine months of waitingContinue reading “Patience, Peace and Presence”

It’s Christmas Eve… Channel 4’s Alternative Christmas Message this year will be delivered by Chris McCausland. The blind comedian who recently won Strictly Come Dancing reflects on disability and discrimination… …Regarding mince pies ‘I will never discriminate against any sort of mince pie, all of them are equal to me…’ …his application to be anContinue reading “Resilient, Creative and Determined”

As a child singing ‘God rest you merry gentlemen’… ‘Merry’ implied intoxicated; inebriated gentlemen in our strictly teetotal church was inappropriately amusing… and we’d sing ‘God rest ye Jerry mental men’. In post-war films the ‘Jerries’ were always the bad guys… Then the verse: In Bethlehem, in Jewry this blessed Babe was bornAnd laid withinContinue reading “Comfort and Joy”

I enjoyed a minister recent ranting about ‘Away in a Manger’. ‘The little Lord Jesus no crying he makes?! I don’t believe it! Crying is a good sign of life! If he didn’t cry there was something wrong with him!’ I equally enjoyed a different minister questioning ‘Little Donkey’: ‘I’ve read my Bible. Where inContinue reading “What Child Is This?”

Last night we watched a wonderful group of young people perform Frozen. It’s a great story about two sisters in the town of Arendelle… Newly crowned Queen Elsa accidentally sets off an eternal winter. Her younger sister Anna, along with iceman Kristoff, snowman Olaf, and reindeer Sven, goes off on an adventure to find herContinue reading “Let It Go”

This morning I went for my Friday prayer walk. It’s the darkest Friday of the year. I got up in the dark; I walked along the beach in the dark. I remembered friends who are living in dark times… I’m reading ‘Birdsong’. It’s France in 1916. Stephen has led his men out of their trenches…Continue reading “Darkness, Dawn and Dedication”