December 2023 – Prayers, Poems, and Christian Ponderings

Memory

In 1983 I moved from the city of Edinburgh to the far north of Scotland, to Golspie a village on the east coast of the county of Sutherland. Sutherland has an east coast, a west coast and a north coast with only the county of Caithness to its north and east on the top righthand corner ofContinue reading “Memory”

A little while after!

In the gospel of Matthew, chapter 2, we read of the journey of the wisemen from the east. When they actually arrived is not known, but we should not be surprised to learn that it may well have been some days or many weeks after the birth of the child. However, let us not fuss about theContinue reading “A little while after!”

“Immensity cloistered in thy dear womb,”

Bethlehem, in the West Bank, remains a difficult place to get to. I recall being searched by armed Israeli police and having my passport scrutinized before being allowed to proceed to the Church of the Nativity. The photo above shows not a manger but a chaotic presence of a border wall which surrounds Bethlehem. ThisContinue reading ““Immensity cloistered in thy dear womb,””

And is it true?

The English poet John Betjeman’s poem “Christmas” has been part of my Christmas celebration each and every year, along with Eliot’s Journey of the Magi. I often used his poem in worship on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Eliot’s poem will be my next post! For now, just 6 days away from Christmas, it isContinue reading “And is it true?”

Emptying

The spontaneous ceasefire on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in 1914 came about as British, Belgian, and French soldiers put down their weapons and climbed out of their trenches and joined with German soldiers singing Silent Night Holy Night! A moment of palpable peace in the madness of war, a glimmer of grace amidst the gruesomeContinue reading “Emptying”

Divine Arriving – Divine Waiting?

Advent – a time of waiting. We often think it is us who do all the waiting, but perhaps it is God who is waiting for us to come to our proper sense of soul and it is God waiting for our prodigal return. I wonder? James K. A. Smith who edits the journal ImageContinue reading “Divine Arriving – Divine Waiting?”

Waiting!

In the Christian calendar December 3rd marks the first Sunday of Advent. This is a season of preparation , a season of waiting, a season of hoping, a season of expectation. Today in our war torn world many people and nations wait, hope and expect something better than the present. Those of us in theContinue reading “Waiting!”