So here we are. On the eve of another Christmas.

Christ-mass.

When we who seek to honour the call towards a different kind of kingdom-making. We invite you to join us around the table groaning with good things.

There will be a time for protest, for cries of justice, for silence, for lament – but tomorrow, we feast together.

So tonight, our waiting is almost over.

How will you mark your Christmas eve? For many, it is the gathering in of family, the return home, the pumping up of air beds. Some will take themselves to church or chapel later, but many will not.

Some will be alone. I wish it were not so, but communality is not a gift for everyone.

Gathered or not, I offer you, this Christ-mass, this simple reminder.

We participate in the practive of Immanuel.

As our last offer of this advent season, we offer you another poetry podcast – particularly for those of you who have space today that you need to deepen.

This is a recording Chris did a couple of days ago with two poets – Ali Matthew and Mark Berry. It was an exploration of Christmas through poetry and the discussion went places that you might not immediately expect.

Today we go over the Atlantic and join ‘The Many’ on their longest night vigil. It is a longer piece, but perhaps you need this right now- a longer pause of lament and longing.

The Many is a collective of diverse creatives whose work ‘The Opening’ was published by Proost back in 2016.

If you are in that place where you feel the tenderness of this season keenly, you are not alone. We stand together, seeking together the place of justice and peace, where we all find our belonging.

Your woundedness is a blessing on the place where you are.

We are now firmly at that point, close enough to Christmas, when we can immerse ourselves in the nativity, and Steve Page does this brilliantly. In this poem he grapples with the real Christmas…

As the days approach Christmas, it seems to get busier for many of us. a rush of preparations and obligations, all aimed towards an uncertain climax. Today we have a lovely jewel of a poem from Hannah Caroe, written during a very different Christmas…

Today we get to watch a piece of art unfold as Michaela annotates a poem.

Today we have two different offerings…

The first is a brilliant vid by Joel Baker, made for a Grace service. Here is what Joel has to say;

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9:2

When reading a few verses / passages for inspiration this one really struck out at me. 

As we come to the end of the year we reflect; pulling together end of year playlists, highlights and lowlights, miles run, walked and cycled, goals and achievements. But one thing I haven’t particularly wanted to reflect on is what’s going on in the wider world. It’s pretty depressing.

Sometimes it feels as if we are walking in darkness and could really do with seeing a light. This then was my visual response & exercise. By scraping various headlines from the past year or so, I tried to see if I could shine a light through the noise and give us something to hold onto as we move into 2025.

Joel used this music originally – you might like to swap it out; Ben Frost — Theory of Machines

Next, we have just released the Proost podcast number 13.

In this pod, we talk to Mark Kensett about his 40 year long career as a professional photographer and film maker. Mark has worked extensively in the West Bank and Gaza for different charities, and we wanted to hear about this work, and take the opportunity to reflect on the terrible events in the occupied terrorities.

It can be so hard to form a clear view. There is so much ‘information’ out there, along with counter-information that easily becomes tribal and sectarian. As the discussion was unfolding you can hear my attempts to resolve my own anger and sense of profound impotence and moral injury- fortunately Mark was able to bring clarity and grace to the conversation.

In the show notes we placed a lot of links which may be helpful as you seek to make your own journey into the complexity. Here they are;

You can see some of Mark’s work on his website here.

The Amos Trust website, featuring much of Mark’s work is here

Edukid is here

Mark mentioned this organisation and this book

… Mark’s photography inpiration is this man.

… and finally, Mark and his wife Liane are part of the Kairos movement.

An old favourite poem of mine. That line about transcendent squirrels always makes me smile…

Taken from the book ‘After the Apocalypse’.

Thanks once more to Yvonne, Will and Emily for the music, and Si for those images.

Joy 2

Joy is not a bauble

Not a bubble, too soon burst

Never manufactured cost effectively

It is not bought or sold

It is not gold

.

Joy is not a jacket

You pick from a handy peg, it is

Never something worn externally

It is always a surprise

Like sunrise

.

Joy requires no skill

Its practice is not taught

It is not being ‘happy’ or content

It is just being open, to the

Beautiful and broken

.

Joy is an ambush

Hidden in plain sight

Wrapped up in the most unlikely things

It often comes with grief, not even

Promising relief

,

Joy is a squirrel

Transcending a tree

It is music played directly on the spine

You do not need to look, because

It stabs you the gut

Today we have a prose poem by Tim Watson, who is in a burst of beautiful creativity just now… This piece takes shape around a different kind of urgent waiting.