Sunday 11th December (3B)

Maybe I’m just a bit slow on the uptake, or maybe it’s because no that I’m retired I have a bit more time to think about this sort of thing, but it seems to me that some of the material on The Billabong would be even more useful if it was in a ‘data-projector-ready’ format. So, starting this week, I’ll try to make sure that the material that contains responses is available for download. For now it will be available in the commonly used proprietary format (PPT). Hopefully, one day WordPress will also support the OpenDocument format (ODP).

The colour scheme and font size I have used may not be familiar, or even to your liking 😉 However, they are what they are based on my experience. An a light-filled (daylight) environment, e.g. a typical Sunday morning worship space, a dark font on a light background works better. Additionally, a larger font than ‘usual’ made it easier for vision impaired to participate. A sans serif font with plenty of ‘body’ – black on pale yellow – worked best.

A couple of weeks ago I added a link to The Christmas Bowl wide range of resources for 2011.
On the Third Sunday in Advent the candle of Hope is lit.
This brief reflection is from the downloadable Worship Resources:
 
As followers of Christ we prepare our hearts
to hear God’s voice in the struggles of life;
those who plead with us,
who feel dejected and lonely,who are blind, who mourn,
who suffer persecution,
who are suffering because we ravage the earth
and all who call on God.

We wait with LOVE
praying for endurance, faith, transformation
and the promise of new life.
Amen.

And, from The Billabong…
Psalm 126 (a version for today)
It was a golden age, like living in a dream;
our mouths overflowed with laughter,
and our tongues sang with joy.
All the people round about said,
“The LORD  has done a great thing for them.”
The LORD had indeed done a great thing for us
– and we were overjoyed,
 happy as we had never known.
O LORD, restore us again,
like the creek-beds outback:
when those who sowed with sweat and tears
shall reap with shouts of gladness,
when our journey in a broken world
shall give way to abundant joy.   More…