So much of church life is impossible this year: Christmas's usual big draw of the Crib Service can't happen, and I won't be going to Smallham Chapel for their Christmas service, which I rather enjoy. The sheep will go uncarolled in 2020. While we were discussing how we might replace some of the usual observances someone suggested that we could put the Messy Church wooden crib figures in windows around the parish, and do a trail for people to follow. (I refer to them as the Messy Church crib figures: in fact it was only Mary and Joseph who were originally that, and the set was expanded afterwards for general use).
I contacted various local businesses and the figures are now out in the windows of six of them, with a form on the website for entrants to fill out their answers, prize to be determined (something less than a holiday in Bermuda). The Polish proprietor of the computer repair shop was slightly nonplussed but happy to go along with it. I did leave out one of the shepherds, who strikes me as a bit scary.
Of course I discovered that almost every community in the country is doing the same kind of thing. Up in Leeds, for instance, Professor Purplepen has produced a silhouette inspired by The Box of Delights for her street's Window Advent Calendar. I hadn't imagined that nobody else would have had a similar idea, but its sheer ubiquity is humbling!
Actually, this is the third year running that our area has done a window advent calendar, so it isn't a COVID response, but it certainly felt more important than ever to do it this year. I'm glad you found a way of getting your nativity scene figures out into the community.
ReplyDeleteEven less original! No, indeed, churches elsewhere have done outreach-Advent calendars and the like for a while, and there are clearly secular community-based versions about. And a very good thing too.
ReplyDeleteYour window was stunning, by the way!
ReplyDeleteThe shepherd in the red and yellow stripes looks distinctly sinister to me!
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