Testing The Waters

It is amazing how much of ourselves we unintentionally reveal in the course of ordinary conversation. Most of us don't have to talk very long before those who are listening have a fairly good fix on who we are and what we really value, even if our words themselves are intended to convey the exact opposite! Try listening to yourself some time. It can be both humorous and disconcerting.

St John the Apostle is a case in point. As we follow the Anglican cycle of prayer, in today's first reading, he reveals what he's really about when he explains that he's writing to his friends about Jesus so that 'our own joy may be complete.' In a word, John thinks of his own happiness as something that comes from sharing life and giving it away, not just from grabbing what he can get. And that explains the whole course of his very long life.

So where are we seeking our happiness? And are we finding it? Where have we invested our hearts? Where do we invest most of our waking hours? Are we facing the world, or are we hiding behind our computers, playing games and making excuses? Are we as happy as we'd like to be, or as we think we could be? And what does that tell us about the course we've charted for ourselves?

We're on the edge of a new year. It's a good time to ponder our priorities and set them right. Perhaps this year we can set aside our excuses as to why our duty to serve God somehow falls second and even third to our secular activities. Even clergy can fall prey to the secular or 'business' side of the church and lose track of our real roles.

It's a simple equation: We can either continue to tip our toes in and out of the living healing waters of Christ, or we can jump in and immerse ourselves in His life. It's our choice. He's there for us. But no matter what we do, we can't have it both ways.

Gentle My Words With Wisdom

Perhaps We All Could do With A Bit of Faith in DOG!

The Meaning of Christmas

There's some certainty to the fact that whoever is reading this page is an adult. And there is a statistical probability that you may not even have time to read this devotional, be it today, or ever. Bottom line...everyone is busy! People are making frantic dashes to the market and shops for that last minute purchase and some of us might even admit to be filling out a Christmas card for someone whom we 'forgot,' and are slightly uneasy over the fact we've just received a card from them. In other words, it's all a big rush.

But somehow, tonight, in whatever country you live, a sort of magic will fall on each of us. Sure, we'll probably still be stressed; someone will be fretting over the big meal that must be made and you'll somehow endure the bumping and pushing in stores, but on the whole, the Christmas magic will do its work- Kindness, good will, sympathy, compassion, and charity, and a willingness to overcome the Scrooge that is in many of us.

Of course, I will have to acknowledge with sadness that the Christmas Eve magic soon fades. The week will pass in a bewildering and dazzling kaleidoscope of tinsel, carols, turkey with all the trimmings, stockings and presents, Trivial Pursuit and party games, sports on the telly, and for us here in England: Her Majesty's Christmas message. Shortly after, however, the decorations will go back into the box; life will return to normal and Scrooge reigns for another year.

But at least as Christians, we do know that there IS another sense of values in which true meaning is found. If only the magic which possesses us at Christmas could be made to last, what a different world we would have- instead of a world in which we long for peace and prepare for war; instead of a world where we constantly make excuses for our own personal failures; instead of a world in which there is plenty to eat and where millions perish for lack of food; instead of a world where we talk so much of love but hate reigns- ah, Christmas Eve beckons us on, not to rely on magic but on action. When we are willing to invite the mysterious Christ-child into our hearts we will find that the Christmas 'magic' lasts forever.Our Father, into this magical season of Christmas, we come to worship that little child whose nature revealed Your own and what ours might become. We pray that His spirit dwells within us that we may become His instruments in reaching to others. Amen

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