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Not Just for Christmas

Advent Calendar Alison Phipps

"There are many ways to have an ethical, green, or sustainable Christmas. If there was one thing you would want people to do every day as well, what would it be?"

"There are many ways to have an ethical, green, or sustainable Christmas. If there was one thing you would want people to do every day as well, what would it be?"

Alison Phipps is Professor of Languages and Intercultural Studies at the University of Glasgow where she is Director of the Centre for Studies in Faith, Culture and Education. She is a member of the Iona Community. Back to the NJfC Advent Calendar	"If there is one thing I would want people to try and do every day it would be to (try and) pray. We are not easily reduced to prayer. Prayer is an activity which, at its most basic, takes us out of the production-consumption system. Whilst we have churches, temples, mosques, cathedrals in which people come together in prayer, we also find prayer as a simple, intimate act, stilling us into an attitude of gratitude and concern. Through prayer we move beyond a belief in ourselves as self-contained individuals whose abilities or ceaseless activities or creativity can solve the problems we face. Instead, and in prayer, we remember to cease our strivings and pause; we practise humility, we lament our overwhelming collective violence towards one another and towards this good, green earth; we are moved from strength into vulnerability; we recognise our weakness in the face of overwhelming odds. We say thank you for what we have been given, we open ourselves out from guilt into grace and we engage in perhaps one of the most carbon neutral practices of life we have. I would want people to pray."

Alison Phipps is Professor of Languages and Intercultural Studies at the University of Glasgow where she is Director of the Centre for Studies in Faith, Culture and Education. She is a member of the Iona Community.

Back to the NJfC Advent
Calendar

"If there is one thing I would want people to try and do every day it would be to (try and) pray. We are not easily reduced to prayer. Prayer is an activity which, at its most basic, takes us out of the production-consumption system. Whilst we have churches, temples, mosques, cathedrals in which people come together in prayer, we also find prayer as a simple, intimate act, stilling us into an attitude of gratitude and concern. Through prayer we move beyond a belief in ourselves as self-contained individuals whose abilities or ceaseless activities or creativity can solve the problems we face. Instead, and in prayer, we remember to cease our strivings and pause; we practise humility, we lament our overwhelming collective violence towards one another and towards this good, green earth; we are moved from strength into vulnerability; we recognise our weakness in the face of overwhelming odds. We say thank you for what we have been given, we open ourselves out from guilt into grace and we engage in perhaps one of the most carbon neutral practices of life we have. I would want people to pray."

DamianSutton	Latest page update: made by DamianSutton , Dec 28 2008, 6:00 PM EST (about this update About This Update Moved from: Not Just for Christmas - DamianSutton No content added or deleted. - complete history)
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