This weekend, and the days preceeding it were a feast of Advent excitement for me. So many Christmas-themed meetings and services and events.
The fun started on Thursday with the THQ Christmas Carol Service. Think 200 people squeezed into our assembly hall, lots of lovely carols, some inspiring solo items and significant members of the SA leadership dressed up with tea towels on their heads… Unbeatable. At the end, everyone got a coaster with a lovely benediction on:
“May peace be with you, May love watch over you… May His unfailing love, Be granted you from above, May God supply you with the things you need, To exceed your wildest dreams, I can see His light is shining down on you” etc.
After this we had the THQ Christmas dinner. This was, on the whole, a glorious fayre (the bullet-like spouts excepted). It was a good chance to natter and share intriguing cracker jokes.
On Friday, we all donned jeans and embarked on a day of festivities. Burgeoning in-trays were overlooked as the Evangelism department partied in style (Well, sort of). We had lunch in a newly discovered, near to the office, Starbucks, which was grand. In the evening we went to the Elephant & Castle chinese buffet (The least that is said about this the better, although suffice to say I now know where to source rat curry if I should ever require it).
The group of us travelled into town, next, and went to the Criterion Theatre, to see The 39 Steps. It was a very funny performance, the highlights of which had to be one of the scottish characters, who sounded so completely like my Grandad, and the fake snow which fell on all the audience at the end. I liked that.
After the show we embarked on a slightly mad-dash through the streets of London to find Charing Cross station. We circled a statue once, utterly clueless as to which direction we should go, until we decided to go back into the theatre and ask. Cue more aimless, amusing wandering, dodging the Jesus Army and pestering Policemen for directions. We made it eventually, a fact which made me proud!
On Saturday I headed over to Bromley for Encounter, which is like a prayer and worship event that takes place monthly. It was a small gathering, and quite low key, with a number of simple ‘prayer stations’ set up, causing us to consider different aspects of the Incarnation, the light that Jesus brought etc. It was great to take time out, to not have to sing carols, but to be able to connect with the story.
Sunday passed in a blur of busyness. We joined with a local charismatic church to have a party-type service in the morning. This involved singing, dancing, and a gargantuan cake (I mean it… it had 6 layers of sponge!)
In our afternoon service we looked again at aspects of Advent, I was helping to lead it, and I manged to paint on a smile and make it vaguely orginal I think.
This week will probably involve more festivities. I have another Christmas meal on Wednesday, and then we are taking our youth group into town on Friday to celebrate with them (Hmm, central London a few days before Chrismas, we must be mad!)
In all this, I feel quite advented out, to be honest. I’m not one for singing lots of carols, and I get so excited about Christmas that I just want it to arrive now. Oh well, only a week to go!!
