Everyone needs some Time Out

Earlier today I had a meeting with Sue and Janet, two ladies from church. The purpose of the meeting was to continue planning for a "Quiet Day" which we are having at Priory on 17 December. After I had made tea/coffee for us (always the best was to start a meeting!) Sue produced out of her bag some Time Out chocolate bars. I must say that the chocolate went very nicely with my coffee.

The slogan on the wrapper was, "Everyone needs some Time Out". How appropriate, I thought, as we were meeting to plan a Quiet Day! The whole purpose of the Quiet Day is to give people the opportunity to take some time out from what can often be a hectic and very busy time in the run-up to Christmas. We are hoping to provide an oasis of quiet and reflection as a kind of antidote to the hussle and bussle of the season.

We are taking as our theme "Stations of the Nativity", and will be setting up a number of prayer stations where visitors can stop and reflect on elements of the nativity story. There will also be suggestions for practical responses and prayers. The final stage of the journey will be the manger itself. Just like the wise men, we will be given the opportunity to worship the Christ child. I am excited at the possibilities of the day, and how it might bless those who come.

To come back to the Time Out bar, there is, of course, a sense in which its slogan is a very Biblical one. Time out, or rest, is a God ordained element of life. There is an occasion recorded in the gospels when Jesus said to the disciples, 'Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.' We live in such a busy society, everyone rushing around, people in a hurry, no time for.... Even in the wonderful Christmas season we can become so tied down with planning and preparations that we don't allow ourselves any time to step aside from the rush, and focus on what really is the heart of Christmas - the birth of Jesus, God's Son.

We are not machines. We were not created to become workaholics. We need times out to rest and reflect.

Easter - what's it all about?

I don't know about you, but if I'm walking down a street and I see someone handing out leaflets I usually do my very best to avoid them, even if it means crossing to the other side of the road! It was with some trepidation, therefore, that I joined a team of folk from church to hand out leaflets one day earlier this week. Since December last year we have set up a gazebo outside church and used it as a base to hand out leaflets. The leaflets usually give a short message about some aspect of Christian faith and also highlight forthcoming events in church. Naturally, this month's leaflet had an Easter theme.

The sad truth is that so many people in our society today have little or no understanding of what Easter is all about. For many, it's about chocolate and eggs, and perhaps the chance to have a few days off work. We Brits seem to be into chocolate in a big way: around £280million was spent on Easter eggs in the 4 days leading up to Easter last year! In fact, Easter chocolate sale make up about 10% of Britain's annual spending on chocolate.

So how do we help people discover the true meaning of Easter? This is what we put into the leaflets which we distributed this week:

Do you sometimes wonder why we celebrate Easter? Is there more to Easter than Easter eggs and fluffy bunnies? It may seem strange, but Easter is focused on someone who died. On the day called Good Friday we remember that Jesus Christ, God's Son, died an agonising death at the hands of the authorities. The good news? That wasn't the end of the story! Three days later, Jesus was alive again. What's more, he is alive today! Want to discover what this means for you? You will be welcome at Priory - we'd love to tell you more.

(Priory is the name of our church). Last Tuesday we distributed around 2,500 leaflets. Our hope and prayer is that they will encourage people to want to discover more about Jesus.

I have been privileged to visit the Holy Land on several occasions. One of my favourite places is the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem. Though it may not be the actual site of the tomb in which Jesus' body was placed, it has a very special atmosphere. One can visit a tomb which is probably not unlike the actual tomb of Jesus. But the tomb is empty! As the angels said to the disciples who visited Jesus' tomb, 'He is not here, he is risen!'

Jesus is alive today! Billions of people around the world know it to be true. This is good news for every person, for through him we are invited into a relationship with God our heavenly Father. If you don't know Jesus personally, if you haven't yet experienced his living presence in your life, then know that he loves you and longs for you to come to him. Visit your local church this Easter to find out more.

To visit the eauk slipstream website where you will find podcasts with Gary Habermas, an expert on the resurrection, click here