ARGH!! I arrived at church only to discover that the reading for the second candle was “Peace” and not “Joy”.
If you are just five years old, there are a lot more letters in the word “peace” than in “joy”, however, as it transpired, George was the only child in my group today, so he received plenty of one on one encouragement to shape the word out of pipe cleaners! He also informed me that yesterday his family had bought their Christmas Tree and he was “so excited!” that now he could put his own special ornaments on it. That made me happy too!
If you are just five years old, there are a lot more letters in the word “peace” than in “joy”, however, as it transpired, George was the only child in my group today, so he received plenty of one on one encouragement to shape the word out of pipe cleaners! He also informed me that yesterday his family had bought their Christmas Tree and he was “so excited!” that now he could put his own special ornaments on it. That made me happy too!
The Service proved to be pretty long, with the Eucharist as well, but George and I also read Matthew 1 about the angel’s visit to Joseph, illustrated the story on our felt board and then watched the Paperless Christmas Movie. Lastly we tiptoed downstairs and coloured some pictures while sitting on the kitchen floor so I could keep an eye on my soup pot. After some prayers it was time to join everyone else for Communion and then lunch was served.
As I write now, sitting at my own kitchen table, watching two big pots of dog food boiling on the stove, I’m enjoying listening to a group of young adults in the living room earnestly debating a passage from Revelation all about the Apocalypse.
This sort of scenario is a microcosm of my daily life, Prosaic meeting Spiritual, an evening of knitting ending in a time of prayer, discussions on Biblical vengeance while chopping turnips and drinking cocoa in the kitchen.
This evening I shall light the second candle, give thanks for the gift of Peace and look forward to the second week of Advent, with an emphasis on extracting as much peace as possible, from within the seeming storms of daily life.
