Is He laughing at me?

Yesterday was Advent Sunday. At Walmer it marked the much heralded start of a new Christian Year. We had celebrate Christ the King Sunday the previous Sunday and now with our thoughts turning towards Christmas we began our period of anticipation and expectation.
After a number of years we decided to re-introduce a Toy Service, inviting a Missionary from the London City Mission to come and share with us insights into their work in the city. Darren Dotson who works in the Randall Christian Centre, Greenwich rounded off a holiday in Walmer at the LCM Retreat House by sharing with us. He and his family left us with their car laden with black sacks full of new toys we had donated for distribution over the Christmas season to families and especially children he worked with.
After several days of anticipation prompted by severe weather reports, snow fell across Walmer as the congregation walked, drove or cycled to church. It was apt that as we turned 'the page' and entered a new liturgical year that God chose symbolically to make everywhere white. Was this a sign for us that we should be reaching out to all our community with the message of hope and peace that Advent brings to our Christmas observance?
Since the last blog we have had a challenging time pastorally with several folk in hospital undergoing surgery and treatment, others are convalescing whilst others, myself included, are undergoing tests. Two friends have also died after long struggles and we will be joining their families and friends to remember them at services in neighbouring churches.
That said, the pace of church life remains constant and we have ensured that essential fabric maintenance tasks have been undertaken, finalised our plans for Christmas (including distributing 1500+ Advent & Christmas service invitations to our community), met with an architect to advance our kitchen project plans and this week have our Christmas shopping outing to Polhill Shoppig Village.
With a myriad of distractions and a couple of enforced weeks away from college to visit hospitals the deadlines for assignments start to loom large and prompt some serious study. I am preparing to travel back from London with what feels like half the college library in my case to facilitate the writing process over the next few weeks.
I must mention the value I place on having the opportunity to meet from time to time with my support group at Bloomsbury which I did this month. These informal opportunities to share highs and lows of both church and college life with friends who can offer sympathetic, supportive and understanding listening helps considerably.
So, Christmas is the next big event and despite my reluctance to get caught up in the commercialism that drives the secular world and often the church into its celebrations I am prepared and ready for the season. Under its blanket of snow Walmer for a few hours was calm, still, white - a Christmas Card scene. I'm sure God knows how excited I get about snow and, perhaps, as I begin my Advent journey he was smiling at his handiwork and prompting me to get excited at the beginning of a new Church Year.