Today I’ve broken my long held liturgical rules, and yet I think it was worthwhile. We’ve not even reached Advent yet, and a Christmas Carol has crossed my lips. Not just one carol, but two – along with two Advent carols.

Today was our monthly trip to the local nursing home and I have to say I have been lucky with pianists in these trips. Today’s pianist came armed with Advent hymns because our next trip won’t be until after Christmas. Fortunately I too had had the same thought, and came with an Advent reading and a talk around “Waiting”.

Preparation sometimes makes no difference, as fairly early on in these trips we’ve discovered that sometimes it is easier to go with the flow of the residents. A talk can be abandoned when they decided to make it a conversation, and somehow we manage to bring it to an end with an assurance of God in our midst. If someone sets of singing a whole other song, some of the pianists have gone with them and we’ve had a sing song. And today someone spotted a carol they liked after we’d sung a hymn, and it seemed like the right thing to do. A reminder that the infant child was not for one day, but instead the vulnerability of an infant brought hope and joy in a warm sheltered home.

My day has finished with a Christmas Gala Concert. On a late November evening we have dreamt of snowy sleigh rides and quiet nights for a new babe.