I love Advent!
I love this period of waiting for Christmas. I'm old enough to take the commercialism with
a shovelful of salt and enjoy quite a lot of the razzamatazz without being
bothered by it. Advent is a time of
reflection and thinking, thinking about the birth of Christ but also of the
people whom he came to save. I have
known and loved many people throughout my life and I have in my turn been loved
and I thank God.
I was
delighted to find that The Bible Society has devised an Advent Challenge for us
all to join in. Today's challenge is centered on the story which we know
as the Good Samaritan. There are three actions to choose from.
Talk
to, or give some food to, someone sleeping rough
Help
a stranger pack their shopping or load it into their car
Offer
to shop for someone who can’t get out.
I don't think
there is anyone sleeping rough in Caistor, I'm the person for whom others offer
to shop and I doubt if anyone would be too happy at the thought of a lady on a
mobility scooter packing their car so at first glance I feel a bit limited on
this one. However, I shall sort out some tins for the food bank and I
shall make sure I include a couple of cans of salmon, Many years ago I
delivered a food parcel to an elderly lady and included a small Christmas cake
and an even smaller home-made Christmas pudding but it was the tin of salmon
which excited her most. That would be a treat for some time in the future
when the offers of special Christmas meals had come to an end and January and
February could seem a little joyless. Thank you, Edna, for teaching me
that.
