December

December seems to hit at a high speed. Even with Advent a time to prepare to reflect on the great mystery of christmas as godly Play puts it. December seems to pass in a blur. Which is sad I've started to enjoy and see advent in a new way recently, partly through being connected in london with a Anglican church and with friends who view and realise advent in different ways to us here in the uk and this year being in a new patch. It;s been good not to have the trapping of christmas around until almost the last week of advent. The tree Went up in church on the 18th when the christingle took place. 


A wonderful carol service at Baslow Methodist Church while visiting STF at cliff college. 

carols by candlelight at All Saints

And another but very different back in MyPatch by candlelight

Advent 4

So we're almost at the end of the  journey to Bethlehem and so the ADVENTure is almost over but is it theres much more to the story more of the journey to take..  I'll be sad to leave the advent story behind I've enjoyed leading it and enjoyed seeing the different children engage with the different characters. Comments from other leaders about the wondering we did on the very first story of the Holy Family way back in October. Who went home and discussed it with there significant others.

But today we had the wise men bringing there gifts.. Each week there has been that little phrase that makes me smile todays was this 


"The wise men are always late, every year they're late, usually not arriving until January 6th. But we remember them anyway, because like us, they too on our their way to Bethlehem."  :).. 

Advent 2

The table was put away this week at the back of church the bench remained to become our focal shelf and out came the carpet. its not very big but was big enough for the four of us and the the story.. This was a new way of doing junior church for us. And though we cant do a full Godly play session in the time we have we can tell the story have a quiet wonder time and short very short time for reflection ( they normally want to draw ) before joining back with there adults as we break bread.

What was great this week was the retelling of the story of advent one that one of the children had heard twice now and as I put the tile out recounted what it was about..  So the journey continued from the prophets to Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem.

I think the best bit for all of us was changing the light more on that another time though...