Happy Christmas! In this festive episode we share – and then judge – our Christmas micro-sermons. Also we think about the practices that will nourish us this Christmas and reflect on how the darkness and worry of the nativity stories does not diminish the life and hope. Not, perhaps the most polished episode – which is saying something – but heartfelt nevertheless. In particular I’ve been struck this year by the way in which the nativity stories take place against a backdrop of fear and trouble.

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After a brief debate about which of us is the more miserable, we discuss whether social media can help us engage with our shadow, detaching from the news without feeling guilty, and how hate actually tethers us to the object of our hatred. Also we have a discussion about Advent. This year I’m thinking a lot about the need to focus on small things. Advent is part of that. The nativity accounts seem quite big and spectacular, what with exotic magi, strange stars and deranged rulers.

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In this week’s episode we talk about prayer and laughter, about creativity, and about the everyday acts of hope that help us transcend the news. As usual I climbed onto my high horse about social media for a bit, as a listener wrote in quoting that bit from Shaun Lambert’s interview, where talked about ‘Freeing our attentional capacities from the virtual world is the number one ethical task’. Which I have written a bit more about here.

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In an interview on our podcast with Shaun Lambert, he gave this quote: ‘Freeing our attentional capacities from the virtual world is the number one ethical task’. I’m not sure where the quote comes from1, but in the wake of the US election, it seems truer than ever. The main argument for leaving social networks has been about preserving our own mental health. But there is an ethical side as well.

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Well. It’s been a bit of a week and many people are struggling with disappointment, darkness and fear. So in this podcast we talk about how we can respond in these times. In particular, I wanted to frame joy as a choice – not as a kind of escapism, but as a revolutionary, even insubordinate act. Like Jesus' embodiment of nonviolent protest, choosing joy and laughter and hope in these times can be seen as defiance, not defeat.

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This week, Joe interviews singer-songwriter Martyn Joseph. He talks about his career, the craft of song-writing, the pressures and joy of touring, and we end, of course, with a song. One of the thing which struck me most is that Martyn emphasises the importance of ‘turning up’ - not just going through the motions but giving the best you can give for whatever audience you have and whatever you are doing.

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Is God really in charge of the universe? Do prophecies actually happen? Lots of interesting feedback this week, coming out of last week’s chat about prophecy, guidance and generally ‘hearing’ from God. For some years now I’ve been thinking about our life as a collaboration with God, rather than God micro-managing everything. Christians, to me, often drift into a kind of fatalism, where everything is pre-ordained and planned. Such a concept of God seems to me to be more controlling than loving.

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