23 December 2010
Be generous - Christmas message from the Methodist President
The Revd Alison Tomlin, The President of the Methodist
Conference, calls on the Methodist people to be generous this
Christmas to those in need, those in pain and to God. She asks
people to reflect how they are developing as disciples, learning
about God and serving those in need throughout the world.
Alison admits that she finds it hard to "write a Christmas message
in November," not only because she is quite a last minute person,
but also because she likes to reflect before speaking. She reminds
us that Advent is a time to reflect on God's word before "the
challenge of God's coming amongst the poorest and the least."
Alison concludes by saying "I pray that your celebration of
Christmas will be a joy filled renewal of your faith. I pray too
that we will offer generous hospitality to those in need; generous
support to those in pain and distress; generous and safe space to
all for whom this time is full of painful memories, grief and
hardship; and generous praise to our God who chooses to dwell
amongst us."
The full text follows:
I find it very difficult to write a Christmas message in November.
That's partly a personality quirk, in that however long I spend
thinking, reflecting and praying about something, I always do the
work at the very last minute.
More importantly, however, it is about my approach to the whole of
the Christian Year. I am unable to celebrate the joy of Easter Day
until I have prayed my way through Lent and Holy Week, and spent
time at the foot of the cross. Similarly, I don't rejoice in the
wonder and awe of the incarnation until I have prayed and reflected
through the waiting time of Advent. I am sorry that we sometimes
allow ourselves to be pressed into very early carol services when
Advent is such an amazing season. We are offered time to reflect on
God's Word - as if four weeks could possibly be long enough to
explore more than a tiny part of it. We can notice again the
challenge of the biblical story with all its centuries of learning
about God, and finally the challenge of God's coming among the
poorest and the least.
We can take space to reflect on the whole church, the people of
God, and our faith history as individuals as well as the faith
history of God's faithful communities. How have we responded in
terms of worship; of our learning about God and developing as
disciples; and of our service to those in need throughout the
world?
We are reminded too that this annual celebration of God's coming
among us is also a time to reflect on what all the references to
Christ's coming again might mean for us. After all on most of the
occasions when we gather at the Lord's Supper, we say "Christ will
come again". How would I measure up to the parable of the sheep and
the goats in Matthew's Gospel if Christ should come again tomorrow?
Is that why the Feast of Christ the King comes just before
Advent?
And then we are invited to reflect on the days before that first
Christmas - thinking about Elizabeth and Zachariah and their baby
John (and his life); about Mary and her response to God and the
journey of her life; even, if we have time, about Joseph and the
changes in his life. So we reach Christmas itself ready to be
amazed and awed by the coming of the baby who is our Saviour. And
then we can celebrate the Christmas season from the midnight
communion for the whole of the twelve days of the Feast!
I had the humbling privilege of being brought up in a Christian
home. We sang carols together at Christmas and on twelfth night we
read the whole story and each chose a carol for this final day when
our decorations were taken down. I remember that every single year
this conclusion of the Christmas season was a moving and joyous
time. Even now in my memory so many years later I rejoice in all it
showed me of God and of our celebration of that coming.
So I hope you have allowed yourself time to reflect and pray this
Advent. I pray that your celebration of Christmas will be a joy
filled renewal of your faith. I pray too that we will offer
generous hospitality to those in need; generous support to those in
pain and distress; generous and safe space to all for whom this
time is full of painful memories, grief and hardship; and generous
praise to our God who chooses to dwell amongst us.