Happy Christmas Everyone!

And so at last we arrive at Christmas Day itself.

Mary and Joseph might have reached their destination of Bethlehem, but once they arrived they found that the place was heaving - jammed full, overflowing, just like the shopping centres have been these past few days.

Mary could tell that the baby wasn't going to wait much longer. They had to find somewhere to stay. But everywhere they tried was full, or fully reserved. No room for you. Go away. Find somewhere else.

Until at last, after a long search, when hope was almost gone, and they were becoming desperate, someone took pity on them.

It wasn't the best room in the house by any means. But it would do. It may not have been a labour ward in a modern hospital, but it had probably seen many births over the years, even if those were to the animals, and not people.

It did do. Whether Joseph managed to get a midwife, or had to help Mary himself, they succeeded. The baby was born, safely arrived, and Mary survived too.

She was a tough lady, to have gone through all the waiting, all the travelling, and the hard work of labour itself. I'm sure that when Jesus was born, she thought for a few moments, "I'm glad that is all over!"

And then, a few moments after that, when Jesus nuzzled up to her for his first feed, she realised that it wasn't all over - it had only just begun!

Perhaps, this Christmas-time will be like that for you. It might have been a hard journey for you, to reach your current position. You might have been searching for a long time, and finally realise that you have found it. It seems like it's all over.

And then you realise that it's just begun.

But you're not on your own. Like Mary and Joseph, God is watching over you. Indeed, he is so close that he is with you. If you invite him in, he'll be in you too, filling you with his power, his strength, and his love, for ever.

The journey ahead stretches out. The end is not in sight - but it beckons towards you. It's a place you want to be, you long to be, you can be.

Jesus said, that he would go ahead of you to prepare a place for you, and that he would come again to take you there himself, and until then he would leave you his Holy Spirit, with you, in you, for you.

The journey lies ahead. Take the next step.

Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve today - Yippee!!!!!!!

As I was pondering a few hours ago it occurred to me that Eve is another of these multi-meaning'ed words (i.e. it is polysemous, to use the technical term).

In my Advent Blog this year we began our considerations with the concept of Jesus being the Word of God who spoke at the moment of Creation when the Universe exploded into existence out of nothingness. That Bang occurred 13 Billion years ago, or thereabouts.

Although the first humans arose around 100,000 years ago, a mere eye-blink in the cosmic timescale, that moment is also so far in the past that there is no historical record that describes it.

However, the writers of Genesis gave the mythical First Man and First Woman the names Adam and Eve.

These are names that are based on the Hebrew words for Man and Living. Interestingly, the Greek Old Testament, the LXX dating from around 330BC, begins by using the Greek word Anthropos for the Man, and then the transliteration of the Hebrew, Adam.

But for the woman, she is initially described using the Greek word Gunaika, meaning woman or wife. Later Adam gives her the Greek name Zoe, which equates to the Jewish word Eve, meaning 'living'.

Adam and Zoe just doesn't have the same ring to it - and it's no use for Rhyming Slang either!

But the word 'Eve' is also short for the word evening, meaning the day before the Main Day. So we also get Hallowe'en (for Hallow Even), and New Year's Eve (or Hogmanay, in Scotland, just to be different!).

So today is now Christmas Eve, the day before Christmas Day.

Christmas Zoe doesn't quite have the same ring to it!
Although I know some nice people called Eve(lyn) and other nice people called Zoe!

Or we could call it Christmas Living.

I like that name better.

For Jesus not only said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Zoe)." I just realised that Jesus described himself as Zoe - now there's a bonus for all you people with the same name as Jesus!

And another thought, if Jesus could be called Zoe, he could also be called Eve! No wonder women had such high status in the Early Church. Maybe women have an unfair advantage in today's church too. Us Men need to get more involved!

Jesus also said that he had come that his followers might have life, and have abundant life, lots of life, be full of life, overflowing with life (bringing us back to the Psalm 23 imagery of my cup being full and running over I wrote about a couple of days ago).

Christmas is for Living!
Let's Live It Up this Christmas.
Christmas - Get a Life!
Christmas is for Life - not just for Dogs!

These are slogans that would resonate with the Culture of Celebration that surrounds Christmas these days.

Which one do you like best? (if any!)
Can you think of any others on the same theme?
Or Eve(n) on a different theme!
Drop me a Comment! (Registration not required.)

Christmas Shepherd

Yesterday I was glad to return to my home church at Davidson's Mains as they lead up to Christmas. I enjoyed the sermon which linked the Christmas Story with Psalm 23 - the Lord's my Shepherd. You can listen to the Podcast from their website.

It hadn't struck me before that the Christmas Shepherds had come to visit the baby who would one day be known as the Good Shepherd.

Of course, the family of Israel had been sheep farmers right back to Abraham's time. So the image of the Shepherd and his Sheep was a very powerful one for them.

King David began his life as a shepherd. It's not surprising then, that his psalm, the Lord is my Shepherd, powerfully encapsulates that symbology in only six short verses.

No wonder it was popular then, popular with the early church, and still popular today.

The ancient Shepherds led their sheep, along the paths, to green pastures, and to clear waters. And when the sheep went astray, the shepherd would search for them, find them, and bring them back home.

If you are feeling that your life has gone a bit astray, then know that the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, the Most High God, is calling you home.

He knows where you are. He is with you now. Follow Him to find your way Home.

Bridges - Bah - Humbug!

It's been windy here in Edinburgh this last few days, as well as in the rest of Scotland.

It's not an uncommon happening. It's often windy in this Northern Kingdom.

As I mentioned in yesterday's Blog, the Forth Road Bridge was open only to cars on Friday evening. It's been so windy today that the FRB has been closed to most traffic for much of today also.

I can't figure out why the Scottish Government decided in the Summer to choose a new bridge across the Forth instead of a tunnel. I can only attribute it to a case of communal forgetfulness about the nature of Scottish Weather.

I don't know if FETA keep records of the number of hours the FRB is not fully open, or speed is restricted, due to strong winds, fog, or ice. But it must be several days a year.

In fact, a news report on the FETA web site records that two lorries overturned on the bridge in strong winds during the first three months of this year. Further, the bridge was closed to 'wind-susceptible vehicles' for 184 hours during the same three months. That's a total of eight 24-hour periods in only three months!

A tunnel under the Forth would not be subject to any restrictions due to weather conditions such as these. When the costs of the New Bridge were being compared with the costs of a New Tunnel did anyone calcultae the disruptive cost to the nation of more than a week's worth of unplanned closures due to weather every Winter? I doubt it - since those costs are 'invisible' to the Construction or Operation of the new crossing.

On December 10th the Scottish Government announced that the cost of the new Forth Bridge would be about half of the previous estimates. This was because the old bridge would remain partly operational thus allowing the new bridge to be scaled down.

That's great news. But the lower price for the new bridge is still more than twice the estimated cost of a tunnel (as calculated by Forth TAG).

A tunnel could be in place at least a year before a new bridge, for half to a quarter of the cost, be able to carry heavy rail to complement the capacity of the Forth Rail Bridge, and not be subject to any weather closures.

The Scottish Parliament building cost less than £500m and many people think it's a waste of money.

Here we are proposing to build the most expensive infrastructure project in the country, at a cost of 2 Billion Pounds (+/- 250 Million), and so many people already think it's the wrong decision.

It would not even be politically difficult for the current administration to convert the project into a tunnel. It was the previous Labour administration who wanted their names in lights on the New Bridge.

A Tunnel is hidden under the ground. No-one can see it. It just doesn't have the same political leverage of a bridge. After all, with a bridge you can point at it and say - look, I did that.

I hope that common sense will result in a reconsidering of the bridge decision. A Tunnel is the way to go - for all sorts of reasons. A New Bridge is a Bridge Too Far.

Towards Christmas

This past week has been the last week of school before Christmas. It's been hectic. Last Friday Bridgend visited our Kingscavil Church for their Christmas Show. And this week, on Wednesday, it was the turn of Winchburgh Primary School to visit Winchburgh Church for their Christmas Show.

I enjoyed hearing the children reading and acting the Christmas Story, and singing the story too. Amidst all my output about Christmas - it was nice to have some input.

On Wednesday evening we had the P7's Christmas Party. It was nice that the class invited my Supervisor and I to attend. It was an indication that they appreciated our input to their classwork during the term. And it turned out that we were the only adult males there!

The children had organised in advance who would be their partners for each of the dances. So I was glad there was no quarreling over would be my dance partner. That would have been a first!

We danced several Scottish dances, most of which I knew, and some that were new to me. But even the familiar dances had some variations. For the children are not too keen to get too close to their dance partner. So some of the twirly bits are at arms length, instead of with arms around!

I must admit, that as I was dancing with my 11-year-old partners I was working quite hard to make sure that I wasn't making a fool of myself in front of these children! Perhaps it was just as well that none of my church training colleagues were there to see me!

And another thought that flitted through my head that evening was the similarities and differences between this party, and last week's Senior Citizen's Christmas Party. For on that occasion I was also dancing with some of the ladies present.

It was quite strange to be remembering dancing with the ladies who were 20 to 30 years older than me. And at the same time to be dancing with young ladies who were 40 years younger than me. No wonder I made the odd mis-step!

But the Orcadian Strip-the-Willow certainly eliminated any confusion I may have had about which party I was at. I thought I was quite fit - but by the end of the seond time through the dance I was totally exhausted! Mind you so were the youngsters - and I had at least managed to retain my enthusiasm until the end - unlike some of them!

And the week was beautifully rounded off by the Church Youth Group's Panto Visit to see Sleeping Beauty at the Carnegie Hall in Dunfermline. There were forty of us all, including leaders and friends, and even my wife was able to come along.

It was a splendid production and there was no danger of any of us falling asleep ourselves. Mind you we were quite late home - for the strong winds caused the Forth Bridge authority to ban all vehicles except cars from crossing the bridge - and we were on the wrong side!

So we had to make the long detour up to Kincardine. It was funny to be back there - for that was where my first Probationers' Conference was back in September. The new bridge wasn't open then - but it is now. We didn't get to go across it, but we could see the traffic using it in both directions, as we crossed on the old bridge.

And now we come to the Christmas Week itself. I'll be leading two services tomorrow - one at 10 in the morning, and another with Nine Lessons and Carols, at 3 in the afternoon, both at Kingscavil Church, just East of Linlithgow. And our Sunday School Nativity Service will be at Winchburgh at 11:30 in the morning.

Next week we have another Carol Service on Monday evening at 7:30 at Winchburgh. And on Christmas Eve we have a services at Winchburgh at 7:30pm, and at Abercorn and Bridgend (New Mission Hall) both at 11:30pm.

And finally on Christmas Day itself, we'll enjoy a Christmas Communion service at Abercorn at 9:30am. After which we'll head home to enjoy the usual Christmas festivities - if I don't end up collapsing from exhaustion in front of the fire!

I hope you all enjoy the run up to Christmas - and if I don't get the chance to tell you again before then - have a Happy Christmas - yourself, your family, and all your friends.

Carnage in the Vendee

The Non-stop Round the World yacht race, the Vendee Globe, has been running for 36 days now. The fleet have all rounded Africa and are charging across the Southern Ocean, averaging up to 20 knots over each 24-hour day.

However, in the violent squalls and mountainous seas of the Southern Ocean, the frenetic pace at the front of the race is taking its toll.

This morning British skipper Mike Golding had just taken the lead, after the previous leader had suffered rudder problems, when Golding's mast came down. It is a cruel blow for Golding, who was dismasted in the Southern Ocean two years ago in the Velux 5 Oceans race after rescuing Alex Thomson of Hugo Boss.

But Golding's was not the only dismasting. Loick Peyron was dismasted a few days ago while leading the race and is now heading for Australia under jury rig.

Dominique Wavre has a broken keel, and his Swiss compatriot, Bernard Stamm is also suffering from rudder problems. Both skippers headed for the remote Kerguelen Islands to shelter while making repairs. As Dominque was readying for departure, Bernard arrived in gale force winds and, losing control of his craft, was forced aground by the savage wind. Bernard was taken off safely and hopes his yacht has not been too badly damaged.

Fortunately all the skippers of these recently damaged yachts remain safe and are now heading for Australia and civilisation.

The race continues apace with Michel Desjoyeaux taking over the lead. He is being hotly pursued with three of his rivals within 50 miles astern. Desjoyeaux won this race in 2001 just a little ahead of Ellen Macarthur.

The two British women, the only women, are still in this race. Samantha Davies is 884 miles behind the leader and Dee Caffari is 1300 miles behind. Although they are far back from the leaders, at the present rate of attrition up the front, the girls may yet finish near the front.

The first yacht to the finish will win. But to win they have to finish.

Eleven of the thirty starters have now suffered damage leading them to retire from the race - and they are not even halfway round yet.

The skippers will continue to flirt with icebergs until after they round the infamous Cape Horn in a few weeks' time. Storms and mountainous seas will assail their craft as they struggle not merely to survive, but to push themselves and their boats to the limits as they seek first of all to finish, and secondly, to win!

Clockwork Orange

Today I finally managed to get a ride on a Clockwork Orange!

I was in Glasgow to visit someone near Charing Cross. I decided to travel on the train since Linlithgow is just beyond the Western edge of our parish, close to where I would be working this morning, and conveniently situated on the main Edinburgh-Glasgow rail line.

Arriving at Queen Street station, and not being very familiar with Glasgow, I was rather uncertain about getting the bus. It's not so easy to decide if you're at the right stop as with some other forms of transport.

I thought it might be an opportunity to travel on Scotland's only Underground Passenger Transport system - since I'd never been on it before. I had a look on a map board and figured that St. George's Cross would be the nearest stop, and not too far to walk, although only two stops down the line.

So I followed the signs to the Underground Station, which was not far, paid my £1.10, and headed down to the platform.

The stations and trains are all rather small compared with other Underground systems I have been on. But being rather small myself this was no problem, and in any case there was plenty of headroom on the trains.

My outbound journey was on the Anti-clockwise line, and I returned back to Queen Street mainline station on the Clockwise line. With an underground train every 6 minutes I didn't have long to wait and it all worked rather well.

The trains still retain elements of their original Orange livery which led to the subway's nickname of the Clockwork Orange (with the size probably also being a factor). I was intrigued that the Clockwork Orange had Clockwise and Anti-clockwise lines. Despite the names, however, they all run off electricity and not clockwork mechanisms!

The system works well. I must figure out how the Underground network compares with the above-ground city to find out where it goes and on which occasions it might be useful in the future.

Today it all went like Clockwork!

A Clearer Advent Reflection?

After yesterday's efforts at photographing the Moon, today I took a better photograph. Do you agree?

An Advent Reflection?

Although I have started a new Blog for my Advent Reflections I have been thinking about reflections from a different point of view today so I decided to put this entry in my regular Blog rather than my Advent Blog.

It all began when I was about to head home from the parish this afternoon. It was 4:10pm and the sun was just setting in the West, and the moon was rising up in the Eastern sky. The moon is almost full just now, and the sky was mostly clear, so I decided to spend a few minutes trying to take a photo showing the various different shades on the lunar surface.

I was quite pleased with the end result above, as you might agree. I think the focus was not quite right, although there was some high cloud that may also have made the image somewhat blurred. Nonetheless it's the best photograph I have ever taken of the moon.

As I was reviewing the various images of the moon when I got home it set me thinking about the light of the moon. It doesn't shine with its own light. All the light of the moon is reflected sunlight.

Jesus once used an analogy of a lamp shining on a lampstand, telling his followers to "let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven." (Matt 5:15, NRSV)

It made me ponder where this light comes from that Jesus was talking about. Is our light to be a reflection of some light shining upon us - like the moon reflects the sunlight? Or is this light that shines from us to come from within - like sunlight itself?

Certainly the light that Jesus was talking about is the light that comes from God. In the first book and chapter of the Bible, Genesis 1:3, the first thing that God spoke into existence was light. And in the last book and chapter of the Bible, Revelation 22:5, John says, "there will be no more night; they need no lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light".

At the beginning of John's Gospel, chapter 1, verses 4 & 5, John says about Jesus that "In him was life and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it." NIV/NRSV.
And at verse 9, John says that "The true light that gives light to all mankind was coming into the world." that first Christmas time.

So getting back to our question - Does the light reflect from us or shine from within in us?

I would argue that it shines from within us.

The light comes from God, and God himself is somehow inside each person who tries to follow Jesus. Jesus said that after he returned to God the Father they would send his Holy Spirit to each of Jesus' followers, and that the Spirit "lives with you and is in you." (John 14:17)

So let the light of God that is shining within you shine out into the world so that the darkness would be turned to light and that all mankind would one day give glory to God our Father in heaven.

Too much of a Good Thing?

This past week has been a very busy one for me. Come along for the ride!

On Sunday, my supervisor and I were taking the services at Blackridge and Harthill churches as part of the Presbytery's Pulpit Swap Sunday. It was interesting to meet these two church communities and see how and where they meet. The frost rime on the fields, bushes, and trees, was beautiful as it shone in the midday sun. In the evening we hosted some of the local P7 children for a scary St Andrews night down at Abercorn church. It was a great evening - although I had to wash the soup out of my hair when I got home!

Monday was notionally a day off since there were no scheduled activities for that day. But there was so much happening later in the week that I spent much of the day in preparation. However, I did get out in the late morning to go and visit one of my trainee friends and we enjoyed a nice coffee and lunch together.

On Tuesday we reviewed my input for Wednesday's Memorial Service, and then I spent most of the rest of day preparing for Wednesday's Midweek Service at the Sheltered Housing complex in Winchburgh. I was taking the whole of that service and I wanted to use the computer projector for images and words reflecting on Advent. I was pleased that the evening meeting I had anticipated was actually to be the next week. As it was I didn't get finished until after Midnight.

On Wednesday we visited a family for whom we would be taking a funeral later in the week. Then I spent an hour or so delivering Parish Magazines in my Elder's District. After that it was time to get set up for the Midweek Service. It went very well and everyone enjoyed it. After that all the equipment had to go back to the Church and get setup again for the Memorial Service in the evening. There was a big turnout and the Church was nearly full. Again everyone found it a meaningful service. My main contribution was a 60-image 4m30s reflective sequence on the projector.

On Thursday we visited the morning and afternoon Nursery Classes at the local Primary school. We helped the children to make their own Christingles and we sang some carols accompanied by me on my French Horn. In between the two classes we delivered a Christmas leaflet to every household in Bridgend (unless we missed some by accident!). In the afternoon I managed to get the two different sets of hymns chosen for the two services I was leading on Sunday morning. In the evening we hosted a Carol Concert at the Church, provided by a former organist and his choir. They were very good and it was a pity so few people came along to enjoy listening to, and taking part in, the singing. I managed to make a recording of the concert for some of our housebound folk.

On Friday we were taking two funerals. The morning service was at a nearby undertaker's funeral parlour followed by the burial in the cemetery. The afternoon funeral was at Falkirk Crematorium, which is a fair drive away. Afterwards I chose the readings and carols for the Abercorn Nine Lessons and Carol Service on the 14th at 6:30pm. The evening was a social occasion in Winchburgh - although to give the minister and priest the night off they asked me to say Grace. At least after that I could relax!

Saturday daytime was spent writing the sermon and prayers for Sunday, as well as some preparation for the Nine Lessons Carol service. In the evening my mum, sister, wife, and I, enjoyed a quiet, pleasant, dinner at The Lot in the Grassmarket. It's a great place to eat out. The food is always well-prepared, with interesting choices on the menu, which is changed frequently.

Well - That Was The Week That Was! I hope you enjoyed reading about it. I certainly enjoyed preparing and participating in all these different activities. It has been my busiest week yet in this placement. But I don't think it was too much of a good thing!

Q1 Done - Q2 Begins!

Last night I was mulling over how things were going - without a glass of seasonal mulled wine, I hasten to add! - and I realised with surprise that I have been working in my placement for three months now.

It's a curious fact that our Final Placement lasts for 15 months. What's curious about that you say? Well it means that the Placement has Five Quarters!

It's one of these funny situations when a word can have multiple meanings. Three months is a quarter of one year - and I have now been in my placement for 3 months. Or in other words, for One Quarter.

On that basis my 15-month placement will have Five Quarters! Which is slightly bizarre, because an object can only have Four Quarters.

Of course, if I was to be more precise with my use of language, then I would have to say that I have only completed the First Fifth of my placement. But apart from that being difficult to say(!), it doesn't sound nearly so far on as finishing the First Quarter!

So I think I'll settle on my more upbeat definition of Quarter.

It's nice to have started my Second Quarter at the beginning of Advent. There is so much to look forward to. As well as looking forward to the celebrations, I look forward to thinking again how the Good News of God's Love was expressed that First Christmas.

That offer of Love remains open even today. Anyone can respond to that offer of Love from God with an acceptance. Then God's Love will not only surround you, but will come inside you and fill you to overflowing with Love.

Jesus said, "I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10, NIV)