Expression deepens impression

As a youth worker serving in the Diocese of Northampton for some years, one of the phrases that I found helpful was that ‘expression deepens impression.’ I often experienced the nervousness of standing in front of a large group of boisterous teenagers preparing to share my experiences of Christ. Whilst the nerves never quite disappeared, I came to increasingly find that when I expressed my faith externally, it challenged, stretched and deepened my own experience of God.

‘Expression deepens impression’ isn’t intended to be a profound psychological statement, but just a way for me to grasp what happens when I somehow step forward in openness to God. Each week, I’m challenged to do this when I join the rest of my congregation reciting the Creed – my public witness testifies to my inward thoughts, cares and worries.

This month, as we move towards Christmastide, we’re presented with an opportunity to pray specifically for openness to the Word of God in our liturgy. In this, we are responding to the words of John the Baptist to ‘prepare the way of the Lord’ (Mark 1:3, taken from Isaiah 40:3). Each year, the Second Sunday of Advent is designated as ‘Bible Sunday’, recognising that ‘Advent is a time when the Church re-reads and re-lives the great events in salvation history in the ‘today’ of her liturgy’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1095).

As I reflect on how I might become more open to God’s Word, I’m reminded again that ‘expression deepens impression.’ For me, Advent is not a season of passive waiting, but one of actively seeking ways to deepen my receptivity to God’s Word in my life, following Mary’s fiat – an external expression of her trust in God.

This year, one of the active ways in which I’ll be expressing the message of hope found at Christ’s birth is through the ‘Christmas Unwrapped’ project.

Christmas Unwrapped

‘Christmas Unwrapped’ began five years ago, and is a really simple way of combining celebration and faith-sharing. Recognising that the Christmas story we discover in the Scriptures was being increasingly sidelined, Bible Society in England and Wales launched a series of beautiful Christmas-themed stickers which can be placed on the envelopes of your Christmas cards to family, friends and colleagues.

In our culture where stories are often shared visually, the stickers are in a distinctive illuminated style by the Danish artist Esben Hanefelt, and depict various scenes from the nativity. Even this visual presence can be a simple way of marking the birth of Christ at Christmas time. Included on the stickers, though, are details of the Christmas Unwrapped website where recipients can watch a three-minute version of the Christmas story and hear readings from the Gospels read by the renowned ‘Riding Lights Theatre Company.’

Over the years, the Christmas Unwrapped project has developed so that thousands of people across the country are affixing the stickers to their envelopes and Christmas cards as a simple way of sharing the message of the Christmas season with others. The stickers are completely free, and any donations received go towards helping millions around the world who are seeking a greater openness to God’s Word.

The Child of Bethlehem

One of the projects that Christmas Unwrapped is supporting is the ‘Child of Bethlehem’ initiative. The project welcomes more that 160 children during school holidays to give them fun, Scripture-based activities that will help them grow in their faith within the challenging context of the Holy Land.

With division around them everywhere, the children are encouraged to build friendships and experience a pause in their pressurized lives. The team lead them in action songs, prayer and sharing. It is moving to see these children of Bethlehem discovering more about their faith in Christ in the town so associated with his birth.

Fr Ibrahim, the local Catholic priest, talks about the large numbers of Christians leaving the Bethlehem area, and says that at current rates of emigration, Bethlehem will have no Christian community in just ten years. He also speaks very movingly of the debt they owe to the Child of Bethlehem project.

‘The support Bible Society is giving is so valuable – we are really happy. It is providing help we cannot find anywhere else. We cannot live without water. And we cannot live without the Bible - our spiritual drink!’

All of the children are given a CD of songs and a Bible Story book. Ten-year-old Daniel describes how much his Bible – last year’s gift from the camp – means to him. ‘I must know all the stories off by heart’, he says. Soon he is sitting down and reading his friends his favourite Bible story – the resurrection.

The Mission of Bible Society

As a direct result of ‘Christmas Unwrapped’, Child of Bethlehem is one of the many projects that Bible Society supports both in the UK and around the world. Bible Society was founded as the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1804 by William Wilberforce and other like-minded individuals who felt passionately that the Scriptures should be available to all, whether rich or poor, and in their heart language. From humble origins, the Bible Society Movement developed into a global network of 145 national Bible societies (known as United Bible Societies) who work to make the Bible available and affordable in their own countries, through translation, distribution and production.

From the outset, Bible Society has worked in collaboration with Catholic translators, scholars and members of the hierarchy around the world to produce both ecumenical and Catholic-specific editions of the Bible. In last year’s document Verbum Domini, Pope Benedict XVI writes:

‘How many people today hunger and thirst for the word of God, yet remain deprived of the ‘widely available access to Sacred Scripture’ desired by the Second Vatican Council! … In particular I wish to recommend supporting the work of the Catholic Biblical Federation, with the aim of further increasing the number of translations of sacred Scripture and their wide diffusion. Given the very nature of such an enterprise, it should be carried out as much as possible in cooperation with the different Bible Societies’ (Verbum Domini 183)

My role at Bible Society is focused on England and Wales, where I work alongside a small team of others aiming not only to ensure that the Bible is freely accessible and available (for example, amongst migrants, prisoners, schools and in theological colleges and seminaries), but also to demonstrate the Bible’s credibility amongst churchgoers and in our wider society.

In the fields of education, politics, media and the arts, we are engaging with both Christians and non-Christians, encouraging them to experience the transformative power of God’s revealed Word. Meanwhile, within all the church communities in England and Wales, Bible Society is developing projects with parishes, agencies, catechists, school groups and young people to help all Christians develop a deeper appreciation of the Scriptures.

‘Christmas Unwrapped’ is one example of a simple way that Bible Society is helping the whole Christian community express our openness to the Word of God this Advent. In doing so, we are given the opportunity to act in solidarity with others around the world, like Fr Ibrahim, in sharing our faith in Christ. Meanwhile, I’m reminded of the little phrase that ‘expression deepens impression’, and know that even a small action like this can help ‘prepare the way of the Lord, make his way straight’ in my heart.

To order your free Christmas stickers, visit
www.christmasunwrapped.org.uk/biblealive