With the festive season now upon us, we spoke to BU’s Reverend Ruth Wells, to find out what this time of year means to her.
Last weekend I headed Christmas shopping with my family – brave I know! Stumbling into one shop I was surprised to notice there are Cadbury’s Cream Eggs already in stock. Ordinarily my husband and I have a little game to see how soon after Christmas shops start stocking easter eggs (normally Boxing Day), but this year the record’s been beaten!
"Now I love an easter egg as much as the next person, but it got me thinking about the endless cycle of things which seems to spin faster and faster. There’s not much space simply to ‘be’ in any given moment – a pull and draw to rush onto the next thing. Without becoming a real grumbler, the Christmas tradition of the 12 days of Christmas running from Christmas day until Epiphany (6 December) seems lost, and I’m left wondering if we miss something in the countless pre-Christmas shopping days as we speed through Christmas and launch straight into the ‘new year, new you’ diet-driven post-binge.
"The gift of Advent (the season before Christmas) - for me as a Christian - is an invitation to stop.
To wait.
To watch.
To simply be.
To live in the discomfort of what it can be to challenge the assumption I am what I produce, or what salary I make, or how successful I am, or how many Christmas presents I manage to buy, or how well I’ve juggled all the responsibilities I have in life, or how busy I am.
To be alive.
To resist the pull to always be ‘on the go’.
"At the start of this September academic year, I was reflecting on how sometimes an academic year can make me feel a bit travel-sick – the cyclical nature of it. I'm trying to spend some of the time in Advent carving out some space to press pause on the ride.
To notice the leaves falling from the trees on my walk home.
To enjoy that morning coffee more slowly.
To be attentive to listening to someone talking to me.
To anticipate Christmas and the joy as I Christian I find in that, and to wait…
….to wait for it."
Reverend Ruth Wells – Anglican Chaplain
BU’s Faith and Reflection Centre
You may not be aware, but here at BU we have a team of chaplains and faith advisers who offer confidential and non-judgemental support, guidance, prayer and a listening ear, regardless of whether you have faith or not.
Our Faith & Reflection Centre is located on the first floor of Talbot House on Talbot Campus and is open during term time, Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm. Find out more about our team and what the space might be able to offer you.
