Dec 2nd. First Sunday in Advent

So, having done an advent blog last year I decided to do it again this year!!
Last year I used Joyce Huggets book as a roadmap ( diverging in places but it was a helpful framework for a first attempt at blogging)   This year I think I might use a variety of my favourite books and poems and perhaps even paintings or music to weave my way through until Christmas.   And as ever there will doubtless be a large slice of autobiography involved.   Because that is how God most often speaks to me - through the stuff of everyday life.

So as we start our journey of pondering the meaning of Christmas and preparing for the festivities, I shall share something most unpleasant and very personal :-)

Tomorrow I'm off into hospital for a scope to have a look at my inner workings.  (Ewwww)  Sometime over the summer I developed, out of the blue, some sort of irritable bowel thing.  It went on for a few months and as a result I was referred for a scope - although I'm happy to say the digestive system does seem to have settled down now.   So today I have to do the prep.  Which involves cleaning out my insides with some vile fizzing liquid purge......you can imagine I'm sure.   Yuk.   It tastes horrible.  The effects are horrible.   But I know it is for my good .  So I have taken my medicine.   I suppose there is an outside chance that it might just save my life.

Which has led me to thinking about a whole heap of things.   But I suppose the major one is that in order to gain a full assessment of the real picture you have to get rid of the cr*p !!!    ( Sorry I told you this would be an unpleasant one!)  We can tend to be full of it .  Attitudes, behaviours, habits, lies, ways of thinking, or maybe stuff we have carried around with us for years and which has festered inside us.
In order for the Surgeon to get a proper look at us and diagnose the problems, we have to do our part in getting rid of everything we know is rubbish.  We need to stop feeding our bad habits and purge our hears and minds of everything unclean.

We spend ridiculous amounts of time preparing for Christmas.  Present and food buying, card sending, concerts and parties, decorating houses and trees etc etc etc.  Preparing to celebrate the fact that Jesus was born in a stable 2000 years ago.   But if we want Christmas to be more than just a party day when we eat too much and fall out with the family we also need to spend time preparing our hearts and minds.


Lord,  you know me, you see me, you know the rubbish in my life.  I want to be free from everything which is not going to feed me and make me healthy.  Thank you that you send your Spirit to convict of sin.  Thank you that you shed your blood to forgive us.  As we prepare for Christmas make us ready for all that you have for us in the days to come.  Amen