Home musings

Today visited the Farmer's Market in Dunedin. Great atmosphere and meeting folks we know too. Then to New World Supermarket and some odd ends...(a not so nice experience of trolly bashing and car park space stealing by folks)... such a contrast. Then stopped at a fav. coffee shop and sipped, met some more friends. We then called Scotland and spoke with close friends Marjory and Stuart Watson, then listened to Marjory Watson on BBC Radio 2 - Pause for thought.(via Internet). And oh yes started making my gingerbread cut-out houses - samples ready. Lovely aroma! Mmmmm! Packaged and ready now.

And so some tastes of new home (Dunedin) and old home (Scotland) mingled for us today.

While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel. Luke 2

Present- ation

I haven’t blogged on much this past month as we have been on an advent journey with the Icon in the last post.

I’ve been trying to go through this advent time in a different way: given that Christmas here is very different for us. It has been interesting observing the adds, the streets, the shops and the same 'frenzy' that people share in the N. Hemisphere. Heard one today from TV about not taking the 'magic of Christmas' away from the children after all its all about them. Let's not be spoilers like some.' I took this as a remark aimed somewhere! I'm equally fed up of the Church though beating a drum that it has done for years now about the material, the secular... also the image we seem to present to others of this being 'your busy time'!!! In fact it isn't any busier, I don't think I have given that impression either! In fact, I have had all services outlined ahead, I've spent much more time with others. Maybe we just need to get over it all and get back to what the Gospels present us with -

JOHN 1 v14 The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.

in order that we can make presentation of that Gospel in our life and words. Another image that we have had Sundays is the Bellini ‘Presentation of Christ’. We will tie this in more this weekend with presents and what God presents to us.
Christmas Eve Martin is doing something with snapshots and Christmas Day we will unwrap a package that we had everyone pass around without opening a few weeks ago. It has built some curiosity and there are a variety of guesses! This Sunday the mystery will be revealed. But we shall end our Advent Journey with a manger in a room and either sometime today or tomorrow I’m going to bake dozens of ginger bread houses (flat) to give to people as they go. Came across them as a traditional ‘lebkuchenhausen’ (German) or 'fairings' in England and hit on the idea for Christmas Day. (photo to follow) A simple reminder and maybe more....