Elizabeth Pemberton December 7th 2014 ~ Christmas quiz
The “Are you ready for Christmas” quiz
- Is your Christmas tree...?a) Up and decoratedb) About to be put upc) Still in its box in the shed
- Christmas shopping wise, have you…?a) Already shopped and wrapped all your presentsb) Made a list and done some shoppingc) Not done a thing yet
- Your current musical choices are…?a) Christmas Carols and more Christmas carolsb) A few Christmas carols mixed into your usual playlistc) The same as usual
- Your Christmas gathering meal is…?a) Planned, pudding made, shopping list ready to gob) Coming together nicely – just deciding on a dessertc) Happening but don’t know where or when
Mostly As Extremely ready for Christmas, bravo! Mostly Bs On track to be readyMostly Cs Did you know there are only 2 ½ weeks to go!!! Get on to it!If Advent is about getting ready, I wonder how ready many of us are for Christmas? How did you go on the quiz? I’m afraid I am a ‘Mostly Cs’ person as I write this … don’t quite know how it happened, but Christmas really seems to have crept up on me this year. I have listened to a few carols but the tree, shopping and menu planning are not at a good stage of the process for this time of year.But what is it really that we actually need to be getting ready for? As you regular readers will know (!), I recently started using Instagram and I was intrigued when I saw that the Brothers of the SSJE have an Advent Word Global Advent Calendar initiative. The idea is that you subscribe and every day the Brothers send you a word, an image and a couple of sentences which call you to prayer. If you choose, you can then respond by taking a photo and posting it on Instagram to create a global Advent calendar and also be part of a global wave of prayer around the word.It’s only day 4 as I write this and I have already found it to be quite a profound experience and something which has made me stop, reflect and pray. Day 1’s Look reminded us to find a place where we could be fully aware of our need for God’s healing and forgiveness. Day 2’s Remember had me pondering over my daughter’s baptism candles and a wooden cross owned by my Great Grandfather. Day 3’s Imagine challenged me to find places and images which draw me back to prayer when I am feeling overwhelmed by the world’s values. Day 4’s Thrive reminds us that Jesus came so we might have life to the full – and that we are made for acts of beauty and fun! So I am planning some Just Dance with the kids after dinner. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow’s word is….So maybe I am actually getting ready for Christmas after all; maybe I am preparing the most important thing, my heart, so it is ready to rejoice at the gift of God’s son.My prayer is that Advent brings you opportunities to prepare your heart so you can joyfully celebrate the gift of God’s son on Christmas Day.With love and blessings,Liz