Spiritual

 

Hello all. I hope you are ok. I'm not sure I have that much to say so will just spend this time pontificating about stuff I have seen and done. I hope that is good for you - well, I'll be frank - it's all I've got. We went to the flicks again on Monday - Cineworld Unlimited and a daughter who works there - it is essential to get your money's worth and go as often as possible, don't you think? We went to see Living with Bill Nighy. Living is about a man who finds out that he is dying. (I know, I know, I tried to think of a witty way of putting it but nothing. You would think that this would write itself wouldn't you?) It's probably the best film he has ever made. (Love Actually - the worst film ever made by anyone ever - with the possible exception of Cocktail). The film is gentle and lovely and life-affirming. He gets plenty wrong but the final weeks of his life change everything for him. Highly recommended. 

We had a text from FOW1 this week. He has just embarked on a teaching career in Bristol as I have mentioned before. He is currently firing up Disney+ as his class is looking at Dickens' A Christmas Carol this year and, as the version that is most faithful to the original, A Muppet Christmas Carol is obviously the way forward. I am very jealous of these children watching this for the first time - what an excellent gateway to Dickens. Also - more Christmassy than Violent Night which is packing them in apparently. 

Are you up for Christmas yet? I usually refuse to press the GO button until after November 5th. Bonfire night is well gone but I still haven't entered in yet. There are lots of reasons. 

• Work is busy. 
• There are lots of complicated International Negotiations going on about whether we are going back to a real tree this year. (Trust me - we are. I have little or no interest in the theory that there is not enough room for it in the apartment. Bring me solutions, not problems!)
• We are meant to be popping off for a little bijou trip to London (train unions permitting) and we sort of wanted to do that first. 

It's probably not the most Christmassy Christmas for a lot of people again this year. Given everything that has happened over the last couple of years, I think we were all hoping for better this year but worries about putting food on the table and what sort of a bill the meter reading is going to translate to mean that this is unlikely for lots of people. (Not everybody obviously. This is a massive storm we are in but the boats that are keeping us afloat are of various sizes and levels of precariousness). I saw something somewhere on the Internet that suggested that times like these will help people appreciate what Christmas is really about - you know, more spiritual, closer to God or pared back. Can I give some mature spiritual direction? No one ever drew anyone to Christ by being a buffoon. We are supposed to bear one another's burdens - not decide which burdens we fancy bearing and which ones can be disregarded. 

My charity lost a third of its funding this week because of the cuts. There are possibilities for a way forward and we are working with a very sympathetic council but it still makes me angry that poor, elderly and disabled people are the first in line for this stuff. And I sort of think that the original message of Christmas - whatever that is - follows on naturally from this. Stable birth, helpless babe, traumatised and socially unacceptable unmarried virgin, lowest of the low shepherds being honoured visitors - we are not really left in much doubt where God positions himself. 

So, if we are after a spiritual Christmas, I would say Give what you can when you can. Volunteer time and energy. Campaign to try and change things. I think these are all very, very spiritual things. Please note the proof below

Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’ Matthew 25.

You see. Anything that connects us to God is spiritual. QED. So, if you are already doing stuff like this and I know lots of you are, be assured that this is spiritual and the will of the Father. Have a good week.