As we journey through the Advent season, Helen Spencer introduces us to Godly Play and invites us to approach the mystery of the incarnation with childlike faith.

• “Advent is a time to get ready. If you’re getting ready to go on holiday, you do certain things, like packing your suitcase… Every day life goes on as well, but you’ve got in the back of your mind that you’re going on holiday.”
• “We give [children] the time, the space, and the quietness to come close to God.”
• “Because it’s very experiential, there’s no direct teaching point, so that every child is coming and seeing the story for themselves. It’s a little alarming when you’re used to having a particular teaching point and that you want right answers.”
• “Our relationship with God is actually a relationship. We can’t explain a relationship; we may be able to describe it. For hundreds of years, sadly, adults have imagined that children couldn’t or don’t have a relationship with God because they don’t have the words.”
• “Children respond to the space that Godly play allows them, whereas adults often see it superficially and see it as a cute way to tell Bible stories but miss the point. Children never do.”

What’s changing our lives:

• Keane: Getting a TV
• Heather: New Christmas music, including Ben Rector and Rend Collective
• Helen: Staying connected with friends in Minsk & the Facebook “care” emoji

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