20th December

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. -Luke 2:19

How fitting that this is today's verse when it's the Sunday in advent that we particularly think about Mary.

This morning marked the end of my placement at St Peter's House, the university chaplaincy which covers the University of Manchester, Man Met and the Royal Northern College of Music. I went in there knowing very little about the team and what they did. The placement was to experience a place of secular or sector ministry and after 19 years in the NHS I felt it was necessary to experience something outside of healthcare. I hoped this would enrich my calling to secular ministry.
What I've encountered over the 4 months I've been at St Peter's has been surprising, encouraging and endlessly fulfilling. The thriving, inclusive, and diverse worshipping community was the biggest surprise. I've often felt on the outside edge of my own branch of Christianity, not quite sure where my own slightly unusual calling and indeed my personal theology sat within the parish system the Anglican church seems to be built upon. I've always felt at home in secular ministry and finding a church as inclusive and accepting as I find chaplains to be was remarkable.
Chaplaincy and sector ministry is about accepting people in all their brokenness. It's not about making disciples, growing churches or sermonising. It's about being there for people and accepting them and loving them, because that is what God does.
The service this morning at St Peter's was beautiful, with a wonderful sermon preached by URC minister in training Alex Young, who prior to training was part of the St Peter's team. The sermon reflected on Mary's beautiful hymn of Praise, The Magnificat, but aimed to uncover the truths; how did her soul, and by extension our souls, magnify the Lord (as she says) when we are fearful, broken people?
For me it's about accepting truths- the truth of who we are and the truth of our purpose, which I believe is to be a loving and worshipping community of people.
We can look at ourselves, being honest about what is broken in us, what we are struggling with and be secure in the knowledge that, no matter what, we are reflections of God, our souls magnify him and we are loved in all our brokenness.

11th December

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. -Luke 2:6-7

There's a popular theory in progressive Christianity (the model of Christianity I buy into) that the sin of Sodom is not a sexual sin but (if you read the book of Genesis carefully, and Ezekiel who states it quite plainly) their sin was a lack of hospitality. They had plenty but didn't share it with those in need. If this, as I believe, is the case then being hospitable and sharing with those in need is one of the most important things we can do as it's one of the things God values most.
We know very little about the people or person who took pity on Mary, about to give birth, and Joseph, anxious at her side, but they did something wonderful.
Whilst my husband has been looking for work we've found the most overwhelming generosity of spirit amongst people, sometimes people we don't even know that well. It's a timely reminder that people are good, and often reflections of God in our lives.

10th December

He went there with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. -Luke 2:5

Being heavily pregnant is the worst. Being heavily pregnant when there's important stuff to be done is exhausting - I can't imagine how Mary felt having to travel all that way in that condition.
My first child was born on 11th January so I spent a very uncomfortable Christmas whilst I was expecting her. My son on the other hand was born in the middle of a heatwave - which presents it's own challenges!
Yet pregnancy is one of the most natural and normal things imaginable. It's ordinary. God chose to enter the Wold in the most ordinary way possible.

9th December

And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.” -Luke 2:3-4

Joseph makes his appearance today. The interaction between Mary and Gabriel has been spread over several days but here there's no mention of Joseph's struggle and his own angelic encounter. We see him in a functional role, here because he was descended from David, helping form those all-too-neat genealogies that don't quite add up.
I think Joseph's often pushed out a bit, we hear almost nothing of him after the nativity story. I want to know more about him and how his son affected him and changed his life.

6th December

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” -Luke 1:35

I found this to share:
Ballad of the Bread Man (1968) Charles Causley

Mary stood in the kitchen
Baking a loaf of bread.
An angel flew in through the window.
‘We’ve a job for you,’ he said.

‘God in his big gold heaven
Sitting in his big blue chair,
Wanted a mother for his little son.
Suddenly saw you there.’

Mary shook and trembled,
‘It isn’t true what you say.’
‘Don’t say that,’ said the angel.
‘The baby’s on its way.’

Joseph was in the workshop
Planing a piece of wood.
‘The old man’s past it,’ the neighbours said.
‘That girl’s been up to no good.’

‘And who was that elegant fellow,’
They said. ‘in the shiny gear?’
The things they said about Gabriel
Were hardly fit to hear.

Mary never answered,
Mary never replied.
She kept the information,
Like the baby, safe inside.

It was the election winter.
They went to vote in town.
When Mary found her time had come
The hotels let her down.

The baby was born in an annexe
Next to the local pub.
At midnight, a delegation
Turned up from the Farmers’ Club.

They talked about an explosion
That made a hole in the sky,
Said they’d been sent to the Lamb and Flag
To see God come down from on high.

A few days later a bishop
And a five-star general were seen
With the head of an African country
In a bullet-proof limousine.

‘We’ve come,’ they said ‘with tokens
For the little boy to choose.’
Told the tale about war and peace
In the television news.

After them came the soldiers
With rifle and bombs and gun,
Looking for enemies of the state.
The family had packed up and gone.

When they got back to the village
The neighbours said, to a man,
‘That boy will never be one of us,
Though he does what he blessed well can.’

He went round to all the people
A paper crown on his head.
Here is some bread from my father.
Take, eat, he said.

Nobody seemed very hungry.
Nobody seemed to care.
Nobody saw the God in himself
Quietly standing there.

He finished up in the papers,
He came to a very bad end.
He was charged with bringing the living to life.
No man was that prisoner’s friend.

There’s only one kind of punishment
To fit that kind of crime.
They rigged a trial and shot him dead.
They were only just in time.

They lifted the young man by the leg,
Thy lifted him by the arm,
They locked him in a cathedral
In case he came to harm.

They stored him safe as water
Under seven rocks.
One Sunday morning he burst out
Like a jack-in-the-box.

Through the town he went walking.
He showed them the holes in his head.
Now do you want any loaves? he cried.
‘Not today’ they said.

5th December

“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” -Luke 1:32-33

Another one for reflection today. Last Thursday we had a Key Stage 2 eucharist at St. Michael's where the junior school joined us. Whilst we were at the alter our fabulous organist played "Gabriel's Message", which always has a profound effect on me.

https://youtu.be/dQ5wmFi9sfA

(But I never sing most highly flavoured gravy...no...never.......)

4th December

“…You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus…” -Luke 1:31

Something a bit different to contemplate with some pictures of how the annunciation has been depicted in different times and cultures to make it relatable to the time and place

3rd December

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God.” -Luke 1:29-30

Greatly troubled- well you would be, wouldn't you?! And can you imagine the pressure of being told you've found favour with God? The pressure to feel you have to better than you think you can be, to live up to expectations, yet God knew exactly what he was doing. He doesn't choose the "best", holiest, most prayerful or least sinful. He uses us as we are, where we are, often without us even realising. There's very rarely angels or fanfare.