My little Gnudren,

Old Gnu has had a wonderful celebration of Christmas at his church. He has been able to sit back and enjoy the services in a way that he couldn’t in former years. And at bedtime, after saying his prayers, he has not had to worry about the next sermon he has to prepare, but has read his favourite Christmas books again. He loves then all in equal measure:

The Story of Papa Panov: This story reminds Old Gnu that Jesus comes to those who live a life of gratitude and compassion. It has also encouraged Old Gnu to try living for one day on Papa Panov’s diet of coffee, cabbage soup and hunks of bread [gluten free]. He hasn’t succeeded yet even though there is a great recipe for Cabbage Soup on the BBC website. The Papa Panov story is also in the Bible if you read carefully – Matthew 25:31-40.

The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter is for Old Gnu a picture of the providential care of the Almighty, through the compassion of grateful mice to whom the tailor had shown past kindness. The mice complete a commission for a wedding coat and waistcoat for the Mayor of Gloucester when the tailor fell sick with fever.

Since reading this story earlier in Advent in preparation for Christmas old Gnu’s home has been broken into by mice. Old Gnu could not kill or murder them after he had read about these mice, in case they were about to complete another poor sick tailor’s commission.

So he went and purchased humane mouse traps. Insert a little piece of chocolate and peanut butter [they’re bored with cheese], and voilà! two culprits were caught the very next morning. And the second night, behold! Another! After giving them a good talking to they were taken a mile down the road and released. And they have never returned.

Father Christmas
Raymond Briggs’ book raises ontological questions for many Christians, and continues the tradition of purveying false doctrine. Should we be telling our baby gnus about someone who is not rooted in the reality of our present existence as we perceive it? When one Anglican Bishop commented about the impossibility of Father Christmas delivering all the Christmas presents in one night, he was slated in the press.

What Old Gnu finds personally challenging and inspirational are the last few pages. Here is a grumpy old man who has discharged the duties of an exhausting schedule.

He eventually returns home on Christmas morning. He lives by himself. This for many would be a horror, especially at Christmas. After the reindeer are stabled with fresh hay,  he sets about celebrating Christmas on his own. It is remarkable that this grumpy old man is able to celebrate, and can be at peace himself. Like Lucy, Charlie Brown’s friend, despite his outer obnoxiousness, he seems to have deep inner peace.

Here the profound and joyful point for Old Gnu is that reaching this stage in life is a possibility. We can all be at peace and live with ourselves. Old Gnu continues to keep working at this in his Shed in the Garden.

Hearken unto the voice of the blessed apostle, and you will find a tool for living with yourself:

May the God of all hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

The Spirit must find it difficult to work in us when we have no hope. If we have no hope it is unlikely that we shall have joy or peace. If we have no joy or peace we might well prove to live an anxious and troubled life and be a pain in the posterior [backside] to others. For how can we expect others to live alongside us if we cannot live with ourselves? But it is not we who have to drum up the hope. We place our hope in God whose ultimate purposes cannot be thwarted. Old Gnu would add: and keep practising in your shed.

And talking of hope, hearken also unto the voice also of her most gracious Majesty the Queen in her Christmas message:

It is often the small steps and not the giant leaps that bring about lasting change.

It may seem that small steps will not do at this point in the world’s history, because time is running out. But neither will despair do! We must all take the small or big steps that are possible for us individually, otherwise we stand in danger of becoming grumpy old “men” without deep inner peace.   Old Gnu uses the term men generically. He is not quite sure if, in these days of political correctness, generic terms escape accusations of sexism.

One more Christmas story that Mrs. Gnu will testify has had a significant influence on the whole of Old Gnu’s life, is The Brownie in the Lampost. But enough is enough for the moment. Amen.

To cheer us all up Old Gnu offers you a track from GNU 013 [never released] For the Beauty of the Earth by John Rutter. This is an outrageously good performance. The words are by Folliot Sanford Pierpoint. Please meditate on the line: For the love which from our birth, over and around us lies…. and see if you can spot it.

Also Amen.

Vetus Pater Gnu
Academiae Musicorum et Theologia
Turris LA
I Mensis Ianuarii  MMXX