I spotted this poster in Tenterden this afternoon walking back from picking up my nativity story in Russian dolls at Waitrose.
People are looking in these weeks for solutions to their problems and think the answer is Christmas! Why though do people get so stressed about these weeks and about one day? I don't get it. Someone today was horrified when I said I CHOOSE to spend Christmas Day quietly this year and on my own. That will be lovely, stress free and peaceful. Waitrose was horrendous this afternoon!
What is the answer? Well, this poster suggested having your Christmas dinner (at an extortionate price) in the pub. Has the Christian Church the answer this Christmas to people's questions and problems? Perhaps not if we are remote and only answer what we think people want answering! On Saturday at the Little Common bash, after the Rector told people they could come and ask him and me anything about faith or about the story of Christmas, a lady came up and said, looking at us both, "How come you worship different Gods?" A perfectly logical question, seeing two different vicars introduced differently. The question threw us.
Today I have sat alongside a bereaved family, I have shared in a fabulous school nativity and I have listened to where a church is struggling with priorities and mission. People have lots of problems and questions. I pointed out tonight it is important to admit we don't have answers every day and to air the questions and leave them in community and with God.
God, people have so much stress today, stress about targets, health, church, family, job security, lists of things that get longer. They want to be stress free! If only it were so simple that we could go into a spiritual pub and be sorted, just like that. But maybe it is simple. Often airing the questions, sharing the stress with another person or in honest prayer can give us peace and perspective. I pray today for Waitrose shoppers who were getting very bad tempered over the endless choices of stuffing. Lord, I never knew how many different stuffings you can get. I don't do Waitrose very often! God of peace, help me to meet people who question with patience and with honesty and where I don't get it especially in these weeks, help me to come to you a bit more. Amen.
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