I’ve been trying to keep my focus on the real importance of Christmas this year. It’s so easy to miss the point. Its not about all the material things we give or even receive. I’ve been trying to understand what it means to encounter the joy and the peace of Christmas.

I’ve been trying not be too stressed when things go wrong. For example the Christmas Eve service plans went hay wire this yesr. We ended up having no musicians to play. My sermon notes weren’t printed because I ran out of ink so I went down early to the church to use the printer there, only to find that I didn’t have a clue how to put a new bottle of toner in the print machine. I ended up preaching without notes. But in truth it all worked out and I believe it was a meaningful service.

On re-reading the story of the shepherds as described in Luke’s Gospel. I discovered that the message ” Good Tidings of Great Joy” made great sense to them because they discovered the ‘peace and the joy’ for themselves.

I think what I learn from this story is that the shepherds where first and foremost optimistic and expectant. They decided that they would go and test out the truth of their experience. In doing so they encountered the joy and the peace of the Lord.

It got me thinking – it is so important to try and live a life of expectant optimism.
I’m sure this is what Paul meant and wanted us to practice when he said ‘ If God be for us who then can be against us’

So I’m going to trust God right now and embrace the shepherds example.

The Gospel itself is a message for all because it has at it’s core the one thing for which we humans are longing – to be at peace with each other and with God.

Believe this or not but this is my 400th post. I’m just back from the church where Owen and I have been working on the lastest Christmas movie. We hope to have it finished for the Christmas Eve Watchnight Service. Today’s been a busy day. I ventured out in Martha’s car this morning. It’s a rear wheel drive and the back wheels spin brilliantly in the snow.

Anyway I paid a visit to the post office only to find the postman locked out of the Post Office. I believe there was a power cut and as the door worked electronically he couldn’t get in. Neither could I so the parcel I was collecting will have to wait another day. I’m actually wondering if the postie carries the parcels for delivery. I have sneaky feeling like many other people, they put a card through your door. Take for instance last Saturday. We were in all afternoon. Acar appeared through the letterbox telling us to go to the office to collect the parcel. No one knocked the door just a card.

Today was quite a beautiful day. Here are some pictures i took around the town. Doesn’t the snow make everything look marvellous. Here are a few pictures I took around lunch time and early afternoon. I finally paid another visit to the the Pertro==chemical site at Grangemouth. It really is quite a site. It enabled us to have a good background for the Christmas movie. I think it is going to be well worth a visit to the Watchnight Service. we hope to be able to show it to you all this Thursday evening.

Tomorrow night is going to be a busy night for me. I hope to get down to the Woolworth Store for the closing event in the evening then get through to the Docker’s Welfare in Leith. Stephen has organised an event for singer songwriters to perform an evening of original Christmas songs. thios will be the second year. Last year was the first year and it turned out a great success thus the interest in another this year.

The BBC mentioned our Woolies project in the news today. I believe it was even covered later on in the television news. The story had been picked up by the Herald on Sunday and I guess it was thought to be a good news story for Christmas.

Nativity I was out with a film crew this afternoon trying hard to finish the filming for this years Christmas movie. It was a good feeling to get all the filming completed this afternoon. We had a great team of young people working on the script which was written by Alec Shuttleworth a fellow minister. Alec is an incrediblally talented individual. As well as writing the script for the movie he also passed to me a wonderful short story which he written centred around the nativity.

I was delighted that one of our elders Guthrie Pollock a retired art teacher took up the challenge to draw the illustrations. Rae Manger of Sanctus Media worked hard at putting this little move together. I hope you enjoy it.

I had an interesting start to the day. I went in search of Alan Stewart farmer and road haulier. I’ve known Alan’s family for many years. I wanted to meet up with a real life person connected with the business of sheep farming in order to make a podcast for Sanctuary First. When I finally tracked him down he was busy on the mobile sorting out the many deals he has to negotiate each day as he plans the movememnt of sheep from one part of the country to the other. He jokes with me telling me he’s given up the shepherd’s crook for a mobile phone. Anyway in the process of making the podcast I discovered this newly born lamb and its mother. You can check out the podcast and find out more about the story at www.sanctaryfirst.org.uk when it goes up in a couple of weeks.

An hour later I was down at the Woolworth Store . It was good to have the prayers and the support of the rest of the ministers in the town as we opened the doors to the public.

We believe this is an important opportunity for the church to make a visable presence in the town this Christmas and allow people the opportunity to reflect on the Christmas story in a contemporary setting. It is also a great witness when Christians from all the various denominations work together.

So if your around in Bo’ness over the next few days make sure you drop into the store for a chat and a cup of tea. The labytinth is well worth the visit.

One thing that has been drawn to our attention is how quiet our town is during the afternoons. People seem to get up and do their shopping in the morning. When it comes to the afternoon and the evenings it is pretty quiet. I wonder if this is a pattern in other town? It makes one think seriously about what is happening to all the town centres around Scotland. Where is community locating itself if not in the shops and cafes and pubs of a town? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this one.

The church building looks awesome. What do you think?

Funny how the light changes things
Dark gray stones turn red
A green steeple looks purple
A building towering over the houses below
Almost hiding in the dark
Can be seen from an other viewpoint
A shining star radiates from the tower
People in the houses below
Feel the church is alive
Inviting them to visit
The lights are on
The tower watches over the night
Standing tall
Reminding them
God is still up and about
God’s not in bed

There is nothing quite like a cold winter day in Scotland.
If you live in Bo’ness there is always the added mystery of the steam train.

I thought this picture turned out quite mysterious and magical. No wonder the old spiritual songs often centre around a “Gospel Train” No one ever knows where a day will end up or indeed what jouneys we will take quite uneaxpectedly. While you look at the picture have a listen to Gospel Train by Bogle Band

This morning I was up bright and early. I was meeeting the film crew to start work on our usual Christmas Movie. Everything seeemed to go wrong but hey, we carried on in true professional mode and at least got the opening scene shot. A big thank you to Jim, Owen, Ian and Erica for their patience and brilliance. I think this is going to be a stunning movie when its finished. The script was written by Alec Shuttleworth. We are also working on an amazing sound track for the movie. Young Matthew Hannah has been working with Dave Mitchell to create an interesting version of “O Come O Come Emmanuel. So look out for it. just hope we have the time to finish it off before Christmas

While we were filming others in the town were preparing to open the empty Woolworth Store. Thanks to a lot of hard work and enthusiasm from some of the young people from the A-Venue a very successful rumage sale was run and i believe they’ve raised over £400.00 this will contrubute to the costs of running the Christmas Experience that we hope to put on in the store next week.

I really grateful to members of the other churches in bo’ness for handing in items tofay and also for overing to get involved in the Woolworth Project. If your interested in looking at more of my train pics click here

Church was busy tonight. We had a quick curry cookery demonstration going on in the kitchen while in the church itself people were putting the finishing touches to the Christmas decorations. The tree went up last Sunday but we left it empty so that we could use it as a prayer tree. Tonight we put our Christmon decortion on it and I must confess it looks absolutely fantastic. While we’re talking about trees. I got the big holly tree that stands outside our made door shaped into a Christmas tree. I’m looking forward to getting the lights put on it tomorrow.

The programme continues to be worked on for the Woolies Project. We just need to pray in all the cash we’ll need to cover our expenses. Keeping praying and i’ll keep giving you updates.

Someone met my wife on the street last week. “I hear Albert’s bought Woolworth” was the comment. Funny how rumours can get around. It brought a smile to my face thinking about the first rumours of Jesus birth. Word was no doubt round the town that shepherds had seen angels and a baby had been born in a stable. For those who went to see I’m sure they were not disappointed.

And I think those who turn up at our Woolworth Christmas Encounter will find themselves encountering the Word on the Street beyond the Shop Window – “God is with us”. God is engaging with the idea of tranformation. Taking the derelect place and giving it meaning. I’d like to think that we as a church will never be the same again that we will be challenged to expand outside our present walls and become the Church on the Street the Church without Walls working with our friends and colleagues in other churches to be the authentic voice of Christ in the world. Here we go the church fights back and reclaims the commercial space and makes it a holy place.

FAITH IN ACTION

Lord,
Word on the Street is
Woolworth is open again
Who could have guessed
Its been Bo’nessed
Blessed
Back in business

No one could have believed it
Its a God Shock!
Like the first Christmas
God, you turn up in the everyday space
The derelect street
The disregarded place
It becomes a palace
Because of your presence

No Santa Claus here
No beard
No ho ho cheer
Just a bunch of very ordinary people
Gathered in a store
With an open door
To tell an extra-ordinary story
To bring glory
To you the Almighty.

O God,
You do move in to the strangest of places
And keep the weirdest company
Saints and sinners
Pentecostalists and Presbyterians
Catholics and Anglicans
Publicans and Bookies
Shopkeepers and Road Sweepers
Bus drivers and Broadcasters
Your there for them all
I guess that’s the wonder of a Woolies this Christmas
Your on the street .

Here are just some of the team that helped to put on Sanctuary First tonight. There are others who were still making last minute tweaks making sure it all went so smoothly they didn’t get in the picture. We had all just gathered round a huge pizza and it was demolished within a few minutes.

The thing is we had a great evening tonight but we had very few visitors, instead it was mainly our folks. i was delighted that so many of them were all doing something contributing to the worship. It was great having the terchie team at the back producing all the sound effects. the drama came over really well. I also liked the new youth praise band. You played well guys.

Now we’ve got to live out this message everyday. Unplug the Christmas tat and engage with the real issues of Christmas. Understaning that everyday for the Christian is Christmas. Its not a wish its a promise. Remember Jesus said ” Look, I’m going to be around you guys all the time even to the end of the age and that means the Guys that will follow on after you. ” So don’t give in or give up – get moving we’ve a lot of spiritual tinsel to unplug. Look just leave the actual tinsel it doesn’t bother god one little bit infact it brightens the place up. What God requires is that we remove the spiritual tat. Now here is a good question. Why not give me some examples of what you might call spiritual tat.

Have a good week. And by the way Check out the Sanctuary First site- so great prayers this month. www.sanctuaryfirst.org.uk

I heard a story about a wee boy who visited a Presbyterian church for the first time. He had been used to worshipping as a Roman Catholic. On arrival in the church he asked his mother “What’s happened to Jesus?” He was of course looking at an empty cross. For him it was the crucified Christ that he had been taught to meditate upon. Indeed the crucified Christ had dominated his thinking. many see this image as being destructive because it instills a feeling of guilt aeach time you attend church. While in the Presbyterian tradion it is the resurrected Christ that is seen as the most truth filled image.

I guess it all depends on what you see when you look at something. For me the empty cross speaks of forgiveness and victory and it draws from me a sense of gratitude and wonder for all that Christ has accomplished. However I cannot deny that God’s grace towards me was bought at a great price. I guess at the end of the day it is all about what you are seeing that helps you start believing.

Last week I was out and about with my camera. When looking at some of the shots I ended up seeing a man’s face in the above picture although it is actually a picture of a tree. or is a lampost? At the end of the day its all down to perception, or is it? Like so many theological paradoxes we can look one way and see and understand and yet look another way and see and understand. Yet we are able to hold two truths in tension. For example we say that God has choen us from the foundation of the world, yet we also believe that God has given us the ability to choose who we will sewrve. So which is right- both?