Minister's Blog
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one year ago
Bubblegum and Fluff
Earlier this week, it was fantastic to welcome Primary 6 children from two of our local schools into the church for our annual Bubblegum and Fluff event. Bubblegum and Fluff is like a mini holiday club complete with crafts, stories, puppets and a really annoying song that gets stuck in your head all day! Our amazing team of volunteers did a fantastic job, so big thanks to all of them. It’s a strange kind of title, but the story is told by our puppets, one of whom discovers an old piece of used bubblegum lying under his bed. It’s a few years old and is covered with bits of fluff – you know the kind of stuff that accumulates under our beds over time. The kids really love it when the puppet goes on to put the old gum in his mouth, and discovers that right underneath all the fluff on the outside, there is still the flavour and texture of bubblegum underneath. But he has to really chew and work on it to get the gum back to its original state!
Now, in the best of traditions, please don’t try this at home! It’s actually a pretty gross illustration, but it’s a brilliant way of explaining the real meaning of Christmas. Just like that old piece of bubblegum, Christmas has gathered so much extra fluff over the years. For many people, it’s become quite a commercial festival that sadly often results in debt and disappointment. At times it can be really difficult to clear all that fluff away and simply to get back to the real meaning of Christmas. Just like our puppet, we have to work extra hard to find the original flavour and substance that is buried beneath the outer coating. I pray that you would find the time and space to hear the angels sing again this Christmas, and to meet with the Christ child in a new and powerful way. During our Advent course, we’ve been listening together each week to a song that reminds us to put Jesus at the centre of our Advent journey. I’d encourage you to listen to the song ‘Jesus, be the centre’, and to make this your prayer for this Christmas. Every blessing to you and your loved ones as you celebrate this year and as you look ahead to 2022.