The great plan at the beginning of this year was that I would retire next summer when my appointment at Ipswich comes to an end. Having had a three-month sabbatical earlier this year, I came to the conclusion that I’m not ready to hang up my dog collar yet, so decided to offer for a further five years on the understanding that I would not be a superintendent again. There is a massive shortage of ministers again this year, and very few who are looking for superintendent appointments, so I have relented and have been stationed in the Central Norfolk Circuit as their superintendent minister. All of this means that we will be moving house during next summer and leaving Ipswich behind us to set up our new home in Dereham Norfolk, this is handy for us, because we will be closer to Amy, our eldest daughter and Alexander, our grandson, which we are looking forward to.
One of the biggest challenges facing us now is packing up all our belongings and relocating. Sadly, not all houses are the same layout, and we will have lived in our current house for eleven years when we move out in August 2024. During those eleven years we have amassed a whole load of “stuff” it was all absolutely essential when we bought it, but some things have been relegated to the garage, or the loft over the years and before we contemplate moving, there is a serious project of downsizing to grapple with, all while I am trying to give of my best to work. I have stood in the garage a few times during the last couple of weeks and confess to feeling completely overwhelmed.
Today, we start our journey through the season of Advent. This always feels to be the busiest time of the year when I work my way around several Christmas fairs, Christmas dinners, carol services and all the usual “stuff” that occupies us. The people in the media seem to want us to believe that we are already in Christmas, and they would be right, we are in the season of Christmas, but these four weeks of Advent are an important part of our Christmas journey. The Methodist Church has produced a series of reflections for the seven services during the Christmas period called “Out of the ordinary” encouraging churches across the nation to reach out to people who are outside the central worshipping community of the Church.
The theme for week one is “Preparing for the extraordinary – Letting stuff go” and a bit like our house, we maybe need to look afresh at the things we are doing and the possessions we have, can I suggest that the question that we need to ask ourselves on this first Sunday in Advent 2023 is: –
What do I need to get rid of to make space for Christ in my life?