Tuesday 8th December 2020: Advent Reflection: Celia Palmer

 

 When we moved to Amersham in November 1977, I discovered St Andrew’s Bookshop and was thrilled to find this little crib made of olive wood from the Holy Land for our new home with our baby daughter.  Every Christmas since it has graced our home and brought its message to our family and friends with the baby Jesus put in place on Christmas night.

This message of the crib of baby Jesus with his loving mother, Mary and strong caring Joseph, the shepherds and the sheep, the 3 Magi with gifts and the animals present give us the ‘true’ message of ‘Christ with us’  of  a poor travelling family given shelter in their hour of need when their baby is born.

Today, we reflect on the simplicity of this each morning as we access our Advent Blog and realise afresh that this is what Christmas is about.  Not all the ‘raz-ma-tazz’ that is going on around us with Christmas highjacked by the media, the shops and the materialistic values of the modern world.  Now, of course it is also impacted by the effect of Covid, Lockdown, Tiers and so much more although perhaps this might cause a re-think!

I also have another Nativity scene to share with you which has another bearing on the ‘Good News of Christ’s birth’.

About 40 years ago the House Group Leaders at St Leonard’s Church were asked if they could make a crib for the Church for Christmas!  I blurted out that the ‘Puffins’, our Group, would do it!  They were nice and did not lynch me and the picture below shows what we made and their creativity.

 

In view of Sue Wale’s vision of Eco-Church, which she shared with us and we now have an Eco page on the web-site, you might like to know how the Crib was built.  It is made from offcuts of wood and hardboard which was painted, the little roof was thatched with straw, the figures are from old plastic bottles and alike.  They were dressed in remnants of material, the woolly sheep knitted and I made the manger from clay to house my little daughter’s doll and others made the grey donkey and brown cow.  Fortunately, we had a member who sourced this clay from the Art department at school.

It was placed on the windowsill opposite the door of the Church so that it was the first thing visitors saw as they entered to give thanks and praise God for his great gift of His son for all on Christmas morning.

So much talent was released amongst the group as they sought to honour my rash promise that we could do it.  Ray and I were astounded at the sight of it but also learnt the valuable lesson that when Christians do things together, they grow and their faith and fellowship deepens.  Appreciation of this showed me that as Rev John Stanton had told us House Groups grow and show fruit in a way I had not even considered.   Much fun was had putting it together and picking up the straw that got everywhere between the pews.  It was dedicated by prayer with all the Group present that first Christmas as it took its place in the mission of Christmas and many years since.  I still have the manager and the doll.

‘To God be the Glory’

as

‘Love came down at Christmas’

Thank you, Lord, that even now, 40 years later, we can give thanks through ‘new technology’, and the help of others, the message you came to give us that First Christmas Morning.    

And, finally, a prayer by Andy Braunston, for this week from the URC handbook:

God of tenderness and comfort,

you speak words of peace

that calm the storms of life,

ease our troubles and heal our wounds.

Help us proclaim your good news;

make straight your ways,

and feed your people,

that your glory will be revealed, even in us.

Amen