This week at St. Mark’s we are starting a new series, leading us into the Christmas season, called ‘White Space Christmas’. The point of this is for us to reflect, in a practical way, what it means to approach this season in a way that makes sense for those of us who are followers of Jesus. One of the sad realities is that Christmas-time has become and is becoming more each year a time when we are too busy, tired, and caught up with the cycle of spending and consumption that it becomes hard to remember the reason for all this celebration. This is why we call this ‘white space’ Christmas, as it is the white space on a page, where nothing is, that allows the important message to stand out. In the same way, how do we approach Christmas in a way that makes space for Jesus? Our series starts this week looking at the idea of ‘worship’ and how to put Jesus at the centre of our lives, and to offer him our gifts that way that the Wise Men did. In later weeks we will consider how to spend less on things that are unnecessary, how to give in a more creative way, and how to show love and welcome to others as God has done to us. I’m looking forward to this journey together as a congregation, and the opportunity to encourage each other to arrive at Christmas Day with a sense of clarity and anticipation to celebrate the coming of the Son of God into the world.

-Andrew-

Our series is based on the material developed by the ‘Advent Conspiracy’ group in the United States. To see what they do and to access more resources on this topic go to www.adventconspiracy.org.