Happy New Year! I don’t know if you’ve made any resolutions yet? Over the years, I’ve worked out that 1st January is probably the worst time to start – which is why I waited to post this! I’m always impressed by Paul’s prayers for the churches e.g. Ephesians 1:15-23 and Colossians 1:9-14. They speak about growth – in knowledge, wisdom and understanding of God and what he has done for us. To grow like this requires habits (they used to be…
The Shepherds’ story is a very familiar part of Christmas, being told through carols such as While Shepherds Watched their Flocks by Night. (The account is in Luke 2:8-20). The trouble is, when something is familiar we can overlook it’s significance. The shepherds are an example. In ancient times, shepherds were not very high up the social scale. They had to look after sheep day and night. The job was hard, dirty and dangerous. Their lives were spent mostly outside…
We were out walking the dog on Boxing Day, when we met some friends who said how much they enjoyed Boxing Day as it was not particularly planned, and they could just ‘chill’. Then they said how someone was playing carols on the radio, which they didn’t like as ‘Christmas is over now’. I thought that was a pity. It’s as though Christmas is symbolised by our decorations – we get them out of a box until it’s all over…
Christmas is here again, and despite the commercialism and organising that goes with it, I love it. Especially the music – I have taken part in Christmas musical events ever since I was a young choirboy! Of course, the most familiar music is carols. I have always enjoyed them, perhaps just playing them once a year is enough to keep them interesting without becoming boring! One of the signs of a good piece of music is how long it lasts,…