A Reflection from Malcolm Ray-Smith

People watching - the heart of the matter

Over recent months I have had several visits to our dentist and doctors’ surgeries or hospital which involved periods of waiting and I enjoyed the opportunity to watch the other people there.  Many folk smile but some are obviously in discomfort or pain.  A few seem keen to chat but most of us keep our thoughts to ourselves.  Some arrive at the last moment and anxiously wait to ‘check in’ while most have allowed more time than they needed to be ‘in good time’.  Many patients arrive alone but a few carry a baby or encourage an older child to make use of the rocking horse to amuse them while they wait.  Others bring a spouse or a friend as their driver and to hear what is advised.

Conan Doyle, in the guise of Sherlock Holmes, took delight in using his observation skills to perceive information about strangers that he met.  Other authors have also gained insights into the occupation or lifestyle of characters they introduce to us in short stories or novels.  People watching can be very informative – but can also result in our “judging a book by its cover”.  Sometimes we can jump to very wrong assumptions about those we meet casually.

When Samual looked for a suitable candidate to be King to replace Saul, he went to Bethlehem where he met each of the sons of Jesse, when the Lord said “Do not consider his appearance or his height . . . man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart”.  Our character matters to God. (1 Samuel 16)

Smart clothes or super hairdressing may impress us, but it is far more important to discern who is truly trustworthy.  We need to have a genuine care for all the folk we meet.

A Reflection from Rosi MorganBarry

We’re nearly there!  Four more days to Christmas.  There is probably a sense of anxiety particularly among those responsible for the Christmas dinner about whether everything needed is in the freezer/ fridge/ store cupboard, and if not, whether there is still time to do a bit more shopping.  Or maybe there is anxiety about whether we have remembered to send a card to dear old Aunt Betty.

But in all the preparations for fun and feasting aren’t we forgetting the ‘why’ of Christmas?  What are we truly celebrating?  The birth of a child to a poor couple, but one whose paternity was in grave doubt at first.  We know the story.  Luke tells us of a young woman, engaged to be married, who receives news of an unexpected pregnancy.  This is unwelcome and troubling news at first, but Mary comes not only to accept it, but also to rejoice in it.  Joseph also, as Matthew recounts, is disturbed by the news and wants to end his relationship with his fiancée.  But he too was reassured and accepted his role as foster father, one he carried out with kindliness.

We are celebrating the story of Mary and Joseph, Jesus’ parents for his young years on earth, giving thanks for their acceptance of strangely disturbing news and their care of the child Jesus, who grew up to be the Lord and Saviour of us all.  As we celebrate them let us also give thanks and pray for all who have the care of children.

Rosi MorganBarry

from Rev Wes Hampton

Waiting can be tedious.  We have so many experiences of unwelcome waiting – for the delivery which will arrive sometime in a four hour window, for the three-way traffic lights that turned red just as we approached them, and so on.  They are just my experiences of the last few days; you can add plenty of your own.

We do not want to be made to wait, for it feels like time is being wasted while we cannot do anything else.  Yet we know that if waiting a little means that our query can be answered correctly, or that we shall get to see the doctor who understands our problem, then the waiting might seem like a reasonable price to pay.  Until the wait is over, however, we do not know if that will be so.

The season of Advent is a time of waiting.  The decorations in the shops and lights in people’s windows tell us that many are racing towards Christmas.  We get caught up in the headlong rush, even though we know that Advent reminds us that God’s preparation for the first coming of his Son went on for centuries.

Every year we tell ourselves that Advent is a reflection of God’s preparation.  As such, it involves a lot of waiting.  This is not the futile waiting that annoys us and tries our patience, but the waiting that allows us to find God in the hustle and bustle of our days.

RS Thomas, in his poem Kneeling, says:

Prompt me, God.
But not yet.  When I speak
Though it be you who speak
Through me, something is lost.
The meaning is in the waiting.

May we, during these days of Advent, find the meaning in the waiting and, when Christmas comes, find the meaning in the celebration.

Wes

A Reflection from Chris Rooke-Matthews

A lifetime ago, or so it seems, I was training to teach in a beautiful area of West Yorkshire.  The college was situated in the grounds of an old mansion house, on the edge of a village, and boasted a large lake and woodland.  We were able to make good use of this setting for practical (college) work, but also using the surroundings for relaxation, building strong friendships along the way.

One of the ideals often mentioned by our tutors was a saying from Confucius:

I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.

Working In a variety of education settings, and raising our own family, I have found this to be the key to engaging learners of all ages and abilities, but the older I became the more I realised the truth of the first two phrases.

I have now become an expert ‘forgetter’, but can remember things about people and places when I see them, which I could not do just by hearing a name.  However, I still find joy in following the last phrase! 

I wonder if the disciples, following Jesus’ teaching, felt the same, as they came to meet and know their friend, and finally understand and share his message.