Christmas - A shared gift.

This year we joined in with our local baptist church (Lighthouse Community Church) for carols. Some of our musos and our choir from the morning service joined in. We cancelled 'connecT' for the night and had church 'take away. It was good to sit back and enjoy the evening. There were carols and solos, skits and plays, sermon and testimonies, and good community. It was the 'Lighthouse's' gift to us and, hopefully, for some others who came to have a look.

The gift of ecumenism is that not all churches are alike. The service was different to both 'connecT' and our traditional morning services; but, why not? The gift of Jesus at Christmas reminds us of the gift of the other. God came into the world and was different to what most people expected. Jesus provoked and comforted, angered and healed, unsettled and accepted, lived and died and rose again. The gift of the Christmas Jesus is that paradox. God came to bring peace, and disturb our settled lives.

Chris

Prepare the way of the Lord - Christmas

At connecT we are spending two weeks with John the Baptist. We are pondering over Mark 1: 1 -8 and what this prophetic 'crazy dude' might have to say to us. Last Sunday we gave some thought to 'preparing the way of the Lord' this christmas and how we might do that as a community. Some thoughts that came up - prayer & christmas cards given out to our communities, singing carols in aged care facilities & hospitals, a lavish connecT christmas party with nativity and being a christian presence at the office christmas party, especially when we have a had few drinks and the gossip starts!

It was good to see the connecT group thinking of ways to be with our wider community this christmas. How do we prepare ourselves and others to experience Jesus this christmas? What do you think?

John the Baptist - crazy dude?

At connecT we are having a 2 month advent. We thought it would be good to stay a little longer with the advent themes. One character who will be stretching our thought is John the Baptist. Now what can I say, one crazy dude (cf. Matt 3: 4) I have always imagined he looked a bit like Charles Manson with out the 'dark side'. But honestly, can we handle prophets like John? How many prophets have we really met, do they sit in our churches and sing quaint hymns and take their turn on the morning tea roster? How do we make sense of John - a crazy dude with something to say?

'You brood of vipers who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?' (Matt 3: 7)