Create – from creare, Middle English – ‘something from nothing’
The task of deciding upon an original theme for the advent wreath is always a challenge which usually begins in the summer; we are now into our 20th year of themed wreaths! (I can’t remember the exact year we started). Increasingly, I have struggled to think of original ideas, however new themes do emerge as I try to gather ideas from current world news and from within our communities.
The dictionary definition of the word ‘create’ is, ‘something from nothing’. It occurred to me that creating something from nothing, is what we all do every day, from choosing what to wear and what to cook, to our conversations, emails and planning our time. Creativity, is not just about visual or literary arts, and doesn’t belong just to artists as we often think, but lies at the heart of our lives. Surely, God has created us all to be creative beings? Sometimes ideas and creations evolve and grow, like seeds in fertile ground, then surprisingly, taking on a life of their own. How many times have we seen that happen in our church? It is what we are all good at.
With these thoughts in mind his year, I was inspired to use The Creation Story and to expand it to include a celebration of human creativity, as it is so relevant and necessary to the issues facing the future of our church and its community.
‘We have serious resource issues that we need to face with creativity, patience, and openness to significant change’. [excerpt from the Synod report]
The 2023 wreath will therefore be inspired by the Creation Story, with contrasts of water, dry land, dark and light, living and dried plants; seeds of hope and faith that our church, by the Grace of God will find its path into the future.
‘Show me your ways, Lord. Teach me your paths’. [Psalm 25 v4]
Pauline Shelley.