I was unable to attend the service today, so instead,
prepared for the upcoming advent study, The Gospel According to Scrooge.
In the introduction to the study, the focus is stated:
“The purpose of this series of small-group sessions is to enable Charles
Dickens’ story A Christmas Carol to be a springboard for our prayers.”
My first reflection on the above is that if we are to
grow as a result of our experience of the coming Advent period, we need to put
effort into creating an authentic and full interaction with God and each other
during the approaching time by studying its base and ramifications.
If we “play it by ear,” not only will we not get the
best out of the time ahead, but we will be revealing the little value that this
time in the year has in our lives. This, in itself, cannot lead to the best we
can have or be.
To experience the most authentic perspective of
advent, that we as individuals can have, we need to seek to find our place in
the meaning this time holds for our church. The “unabridged version” of this
would take years, but a study like the one we intend to undertake, centred on The
Christmas Carol, will provide early steps in what can be an ongoing journey
over other Advent times in the future, during which our understanding of the
season can only grow.
This study encourages us to look inward, to examine
the deeper things that motivate us. It also encourages us to take an honest
look at whether this time is indeed a time of “goodwill to all”. As well, our
attempt to provide a happy time for our family and friends, as well for others
in the wider community, we can often lose sight of the real meaning of this
season. Therefore, the intention that this study is to be a springboard for our
prayers at this time, is the very thing to bring our attention to the true and
deeper meaning of this time.
It was reported that a woman looking through Christmas
cards at the newsagent, was heard to mutter: “They’re trying to put religion
into everything now.” Could we get any further away from the foundation of this
time? By using this study as a stimulus for our conversations with God, we have
an opportunity to be sure that this Advent our attention will be where it
should be. The basis for our thoughts and actions will be the genuine one,
growing from our relationship with God and a clearer appreciation of the
significance of this time, and God’s will for us at this time.
The stated intention of the study is to act as a
springboard for our prayer. Prayer can take many forms, but can I suggest that
to start a period of prayer at this time it would be good to sit and just be.
Let God use the story and the songs to bring to life a new way of seeing. Let
God use that new way of seeing inject into you a new way of being. It has been
my experience that by allowing a God to work in this way, our prayers that
follow, become the prayers which can build the Kingdom. Those prayers will
reflect the will of God for ourselves, our family, our friends and the world around.
These prayers will come from a changed us, and in turn, will change us.
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