Christmas Unplugged

This month our prayers are going to focus on everyday things. Christmas unplugged is about discovering God in the ordinary. Let’s stop putting glitter and tinsel round the expectation it doesn’t need it. Let the meaning be. Let the meaning speak for itself. So we’ll pray prayers as travellers through time, seeking to understand eternal ideas. What kind of prayers did the shepherds pray? What kind of prayers did Mary pray? And what about Zachariah—an old man struck dumb before God? We’ll pray prayers like step-fathers and -mothers who have children who are closer to God than we think. Take time this year to consider the ever growing number of adults who find themselves loving another’s child like their very own. The role of step-parent is often at the sharp end of a joke, yet there are any people who live in blended families and have found their role and their relationship with a step child to be good and wholesome. Joseph is an example of such a man. We’ll pray prayers like Mary’s: full of joy and sorrow exploring what it means to be human and holy and full of self doubt. Many of us need to put ourselves in the role of a woman misunderstood and perhaps mocked a little because of her sincere belief. God does and can put us in very stressful and demanding situations. Mary replied “let it be to your servant as you wish” We’ll pray prayers like workers discovering God in the middle of the nightshift. This year the shepherds’ prayers will be read after Christmas. We hope that you will be able to make significant connections between these prayers and the passages of Scripture that we have chosen. There’s also a great Nativity story to listen to, written and narrated by Alec Shuttleworth. It’s called “The Nativity Picture”.