White Christmas

This year will be a White Christmas. It is many years since it was this snowy on Christmas Day.

In previous years my children would have been playing in the garden, making snow men, having snow fights, and maybe even building an igloo. The snow would have been trampled flat instead of lying peacefully in a beautiful white blanket across the garden.

I am sure the birds do NOT like the snow. They cannot find bugs and insects for food. But at least it makes life even more difficult for the cats!

Snow is white because the ice crystals reflect nearly all the light that falls upon them. Our eyes see full-spectrum light as white. If a material absorbs some of the light frequencies, then only a portion of the spectrum is reflected, and we see colour. If all the light is absorbed then an object is black.

Snow is not being discriminatory in being white. It is undiscriminating. It reflects all colours of light the same. It is white.

Some birds are very colourful. Male robins have a very red breast, which is very obvious against the white snow. The female robin is not so brightly coloured. Blue tits do have a blue hue to their feathers. But they also have white, green, and yellow feathers. I suppose other birds also have white, green, and yellow feathers, but not many are Blue.

Christmas is a time when colours stand out, either against the white of a snow field, or against the plain colours of brown mud and dirty green grass or evergreen leaves. Red and white berries and flowers are particularly obvious and are often used for Christmas decorations.

Jesus died on the Cross. His red blood was spilled on the ground. His life was pure as the driven snow. He died for us, for me, for you.

This Christmas, remember that Jesus came as a baby, a pure and innocent baby. He remained pure and innocent for 33 years until his death on the Cross. Unlike the Christmas movies, he showed us how we can live together in peace and love; not by avoiding the hardships of life, but by embracing them together.

For some countries Christmas happens in summer-time. Other countries never have winter, and some are always winter. But whatever season of the year it is for you, I ask God to reveal himself to you this Christmas season. He longs for you to accept his invitation into his family, to get to know him personally, along with your friends, for ever.

Christmas is Four Days Away

Are you feeling excited, or just harassed?

There are only four days to go until Christmas Day and I am excited!
It's not just that there is snow on the ground, or that I have been busy sending Christmas Cards to my friends. It's not just there is a Christmas Tree decorated in our lounge, or that we are planning to give presents to each other.

It's the worship celebrations that I am looking forward to the most. God is so awesome. He creates and sustains the whole Universe. He gives life to the tiniest creature. He becomes one of those tiny creatures to show how much he loves them all.

It's great to gather together with other folk to sing songs to Jesus, our wonderful God. When we are lonely - he comforts us. When we are sad - he reminds us of his gifts. When we are confused, or lacking in direction or purpose - he gives us guidance. When life is dark - he shines his light. When our heart is cold and hard - he fills us with his warmth and love.

Don't let yourself get harassed by worries about cards, or gifts, or a tree, or food. Remember what Christmas is all about - celebrating the love of God in the gift of Jesus, baby, man, and God.

This Christmas-time - let Jesus into your heart. Make a space for him in your life. Ask him to be with you, to lead you, to guide you, to help you. With Jesus you can be more than are without him. Together you can do it.

My wife Liz put her graphic talents to good use and drew our card this year.
Merry Christmas to you, from me, and from my family too.

Celebration, or What?

Yesterday someone reminded me of the informal Christmas truce that took place one year during World War I. Gradually the soldiers on both sides set aside their conflict, and moved into No Man's Land to sing together, embrace each other, and exchange gifts and addresses.

But only a few days later the conflict resumed again, as if Christmas had never happened. The following year the Generals made sure there was no repetition of the Christmas Truce by ordering the big guns to shell the front lines all through the Christmas period.

Christmas is indeed a time for great celebrations. But if you are one of the many folk that celebrate only because everyone else is celebrating, then perhaps you might like to consider the magnitude of the gift that Jesus offers each person - even you.

He offers you a life with him - forever. He offers to live this life with you, in you, for you. He offers you peace and release from guilt, shame, conflict, division, and hate. Instead he offers you love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Open your arms, and say 'Yes' to the Christmas Baby - God himself.

The gifts we give each other only add to our celebrations.
The gifts that God gives us are the reasons for our celebrations.
Those celebrations are not a twelve-day wonder, but last forever.

Falling and Rising

The expression 'Once in a Blue Moon' refers to something that never happens, or hardly ever happens. My photo above of the moon surrounded by the blue sky may be the nearest I'll get to photographing a Blue Moon!

On the other hand, the tide sweeps in and out twice a day, in an approximately 25-hour cycle. We can depend on that regularity, even if we don't understand it!

It must have taken a long time for folk to figure out what makes the tides happen. Without the Moon there would be no tides. The Moon goes round the Earth once every 27.3 days. So why are there 2 tidal cycles every day?

It's too complicated an answer to describe here. I am sure there are plenty of web sites that have a much better answer than I could construct. But the tide table below shows that diurnal rise and fall of the tide at my local port of Rosyth. I hope the Crown won't mind me using that image as an example.


Sometimes our enthusiasm for Christmas goes up and down too. We can be burdened down by other people's expectations. We can be irritated by the sideshows that have nothing to do with the birth of Jesus. We can forget that God even came, and not know that He is here with us.

On Christmas Day itself, enthusiasm is high - like a tidal flood! During this time of Advent, we look towards Christmas. We consider the meaning at the centre of Christmas that gives the reason for the season. We rejoice - even if only for one the day itself.

God came amongst us. He came down, 'falling' to Earth to live the life of a man, and 'rising' again to reign with his Parent and the Spirit.

Don't let the customs, traditions, and commerciality, of the Christmas Season weigh you down. Rise up and celebrate the birth of God, our King, our Saviour, our Lord.

Halfway to Christmas

Today we reach halfway through the season of Advent. It began on November 29th, and finishes at the end of December 24th, now under two weeks away.

The arrival of Jesus, the Son of God, was such a momentous event in history that we celebrate it every year. Yet the fact that we celebrate Christmas every year reduces the impact on our thinking.

Some folk take advantage of the post-Christmas sales to buy gifts and cards for next year's celebrations. The commercial drive to gain an advantage on one's competitors sees the arrival of Christmas promotions in September, or maybe even as early as August. Christmas is a topic of interest for maybe five months of the year.

Of course, for the Christian enthusiasts, the longer and greater our focus on Christmas the better - so long as the reason for the season does not get forgotten. But for many folk, whose focus is other than on the person at the centre of Christmas, the commercial season is far too long.

Perhaps we celebrate Christmas too often. At a time of reformation in the church, almost 500 years ago, many people decided that the Lord's Supper was too special to celebrate every week. They reduced the frequency to twice per year - a factor of 25 fewer than before.

How would it be if we celebrated Christmas once every five years, or ten years, or 25 years? Would that help us to remember the real meaning of Christmas?

Mary and Joseph never celebrated Christmas. Instead, they celebrated Jesus' birthday. They gave him presents, and a party. His friends visited his home, and those who were far off sent him birthday cards.

Perhaps in these days we've got Christmas back to front, or upside down. It's become all about us, instead of being all about Christ.

High Tide

At the weekend I was visiting my aunt in Taynuilt. We went down to the jetties at Loch Etive and discovered that the tide was so high it was flooding the car park and almost over the road.

One of the two jetties had been completely submerged, except for the mooring posts at the far end, which were still sticking out of the water.

The other jetty is made of stone, and it too was submerged except for a short stretch near the shore. The access road to that jetty was under a foot of water, so the jetty was impossible to us.

There were half-dozen cars parked in the car park, but there was no sign of their owners. I expect they had gone for a boat trip. Little did they realise that the high tide would arrive while they away.

Several of the cars were completely surrounded by water, and the car nearest loch had the water almost touching the floor panels.

We couldn't stay any longer to watch what would happen, and we couldn't do anything to rescue the cars.



But it strikes me that for some people, Christmas arrives in a similar manner. We think it is far off, and gradually it creeps up on us, until we are immersed in all the happenings.

It can catch us by surprise, and as a result we don't get any time to think about what is happening. There is only time for panic!

This week the Climate Summit is happening in Copenhagen. Let us urge our politicians to take the issues seriously and to act with urgency and determination to minimise the impact.

The sea is rising, Christmas is coming, get yourselves ready now!

Free Lunch

Today I was pleased to be invited to a Free Lunch. Not only was it free, but the venue was the Edinburgh flat that the Church of Scotland maintains and provides for the Moderator of the General Assembly.

It was interesting to see the lounge and dining room. They are large rooms, with some attractive and ornate features. Ideal for hosting 20 to 30 people for a buffet lunch.

It was nice to see those of my fellow trainees who were there. Some of them are almost finished, like me. Others are part-way through their 15-month Final Placement, one year behind me.

Of course, the lunch wasn't entirely free. Yes, we got to meet the Moderator, and see their flat, but we all paid for it with our time. One person had even travelled from Caithness to be there - leaving home this morning long before sunrise!

The bonus was that we got to hear about the Church's HIV-AIDS project. The project's Convener, Robin Hill, spoke first, and he introduced Joel Githinji, from Kenya. He is currently Technical Adviser with the United Mission to Nepal's HIV project, and is on a tour of Scotland to share about his work, and learn about the work in Scotland.

It's amazing to think how much good work has been inspired by a little baby, who grew into the most significant person who ever lived.

It's great to be one of his followers, and everyone is welcome - even you!

Cattle-Shed

Today I visited a lowly cattle shed, although it was nowhere near 'royal David's city', that faraway town of Bethlehem!

One of my friends has a retirement hobby of buying some calves in the Spring, and preparing them for Showing at this time of year.

I visited this year's seven cattle earlier in the year when they were outdoors in one of the fields nearby. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me on that occasion.

At that time the cattle were very nervous of me, which was a surprise. I thought they would be used to humans. My friend explained to me that they knew who he was, but they could tell I was a stranger.

Before the cold weather has arrived, the cattle have been moved up to a nearby farm, where they can shelter indoors during the cold Autumn nights. I went to visit them again today, as part of my ongoing education into rural life. You can see three of them in the photo above, and the rest of them here.

The cattle clearly trust my friend and were no longer afraid of me even although I am still a stranger. One of the heifers even trusted me enough to come trotting over to me to lick my hand and enjoy being stroked.

Most of the cattle will be heading out to the Shows tomorrow. It's the end of their time with my friend. Some may be bought for breeding, and the rest will probably be bought by specialist butchers. My friend must wait to find out whether they will win any prizes.

He was saying today that he is sad that his cattle will move on. He enjoys looking after them, feeding them the best of food, and helping them to grow to fulfil their maximum potential. But he can't continue to keep them.

They were bought for a purpose, and now that purpose has been fulfilled and they must move on.

I feel a little that way about leaving the congregations at Abercorn, Pardovan, Kingscavil, and Winchburgh. I don't want to leave, but my reason for being there has been completed and now I must move on.

Visiting the cattle-shed today, and seeing the cattle standing amongst the straw, reminded me of the Cattle-Shed that forms a part of so many Nativity Scenes. It is usually populated with an Ox and an Ass, but we don't really know what animals may have been there.

Luke is the only Gospel writer that tells us of the surroundings of Jesus' birth at Bethlehem. He tells us that Mary 'laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.' (Luke 2:7, NRSV).

From that one word 'manger' our imaginations have created an entire stable scene, with Ox and Ass, shepherds and sheep, Wise Men with their gifts and camels, a choir of angels, and a Star!

It is a reasonable assumption that Mary travelled on a Donkey or Ass, but we don't know whether she did. A 'manger' implies horses or cattle (oxen), since sheep and goats forage on the ground and don't need a manger. But the animals may have been put out, or the 'stable' might have been disused. There might have been no animals at all.

The manger must have been somewhere sheltered that would have been safer and more comfortable for Mary than giving birth in the open countryside, or in some corner of the town.

That little phrase of Luke's tells us so much about Jesus' birth. Jesus didn't arrive with all the privileges that were due to the creator of the Universe or the Supreme Ruler of the World.

He arrived as a poor person, struggling to find a place in the world, yet living a life full of purpose, accomplishment, and sacrifice.

It's a stark contrast to today's Commercial Christmas.

Advent Calendars start today

Yesterday I was getting excited about opening all the doors on my Advent Calendar, and eating the chocolates behind the doors.

However, in the evening I uncovered a conspiracy amongst the rest of my family to continue the ancient family tradition of opening the Advent Calendar doors in strict rotation. That means I will not be allowed to eat all the chocolates myself.

It's outrageous! The boys buy big bars of chocolate and eat the whole lot themselves. Then when it comes to dinnertime - they are too full! Then after I've gone to bed, they get hungry again, and eat all the biscuits! Grumble, grumble!

This year, after me making careful plans and putting in the effort, and money, to buy a Chocolate Advent Calendar, now I've to share it with the whole family.

Well, I have to concede that it is an Advent Calendar, after all. It's about looking forward to Christmas. That's when we celebrate God's generosity in laying down His life so that we could share our life with Him.

I mean God was good enough to share this whole Universe with us. He made it, and we get to live in it free! He's already made the price.

So I guess I'll just have to scale back my expectations and share my Advent Calendar with everyone else. After all, it's better to give than to receive! We'll enjoy sharing our chocolate treats after dinner - but only if they clear their plates!

Some folk complain that God demands too much from us. But as far as I am concerned He deserves everything I've got. After all, it came from Him in the first place anyway!

Advent Calendar

Today I have been wondering why Advent Calendars always start on December 1st, when Advent almost always starts on another date.

Advent Sunday is the first day of Advent, and that is always the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day. My list of Movable Feasts gives the range of dates for Advent Sunday from November 27th to December 3rd.

During the years 2005 to 2025, Advent Sunday will be December 1st on only 3 occasions during that 21 year period. As one might expect - once in every seven years!

The number of days in Advent varies from 22 to 28. This year my Divine Fair Trade Milk Chocolate Advent Calendar should have 26 windows, with a total of 26 chocolates. But no, it only has 24 chocolates, starting from 1st December. My mouth is already watering, and my impatience is mounting. But I will have to wait until tomorrow for my first Advent Chocolate.

I am sure that one day, some enterprising manufacturer will realise that they can beat their competitors by offering an Advent Calendar that has all the days of Advent included, not only the standard 24 from December 1st.

Until then, my mouth will be watering in anticipation.

We hunger after Christmas Food and Christmas Presents so much more readily than we hunger after a relationship with Jesus. Once he was a Baby, then a Man, and all the time, and beyond, God Himself.

And Divine do a Dark Chocolate Advent Calendar too!

Advent 2009

This is a bitter-sweet day for me. When I started this Blog last year I was three months into the Final Placement of my Ministry Training.

This year it is the day before the last day of that same placement. Now I have completed my training, and am getting ready to launch out as an un-supervised minister!

And what is Bitter - leaving behind all my friends from Abercorn linked with Pardovan, Kingscavil and Winchburgh. Check out their new website!

More about my ongoing journey on my Main Blog. Here I will be focussing on Advent.

Today, the first Sunday in Advent 2009, we begin our preparations for our annual celebrations of the arrival of Jesus Christ into the world. It was an awesome day, of such magnitude that our celebrations deserve all the fuss and energy that we put into them.

We might disagree about the way in which we celebrate Christmas, but we all do it, one way or another.

Jesus Christ - Saviour of the World.

Let all the World give thanks!