4th Sunday of Advent

Last Sunday before Christmas

“The true light that gives light to every

man was coming into the world.”

John 1 v 9 

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God.

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him

the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever,

and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High

will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy – the Son of God... For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Luke 1: 30 – 35

And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb.

And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.”

Luke 1: 41 – 44

...................................................

Mary

On the last Sunday before Christmas, we contemplate the role the young

virgin Mary played in the coming of Christ into the world...

When the Angel Gabriel visited Mary and told her she had been chosen

by God to bear his Son, her life was turned upside-down.

  She could have said “What are you doing God?

Haven't you heard all the plans I've been making?

Joseph and I have just got engaged, and we're going to

settle down to a lovely life together.

Haven't you been listening?

And why me, God? And why before I'm even married?

Don't you realise what this will do to my reputation? I'll be ruined.

And what about Joseph? Have you asked him?

What if he won't marry me now?”

What if, what if, what if...

And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord;

let it be to me according to your word.”

The world needed salvation.

We remember the coming of that salvation at Christmas,

through the Word become flesh, born of the Virgin Mary.

Every day the world needs to know that afresh; we can be channels

through which Jesus can touch the world.

Mary said Yes. What will you say?

Collect For the Day

O Lord, raise up (we pray thee) thy power, and come among us,

and with great might succour us; that whereas, through our sins and wickedness,

we are sore let and hindered in running the race that is set before us,

thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver us;

through the satisfaction of thy Son our Lord,

to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be

honour and glory, world without end.

Amen

Activity

Sing "Maria Walks Amid the Thorns"
(You can listen to a recording of me singing this traditional German
Advent carol using the little 'widget' in the column on the right) 

Photo: The Annunciation, by Henry Ossawa Tanner, from wikipedia

3rd Sunday of Advent

  2^nd Sunday before Christmas

3^rd Sunday

of Advent

“In the desert prepare the way for the LORD;

make straight in the wilderness

a highway for our God.”

Isaiah 40 v 3

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.
And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple;
and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.

Malachi 3: 1

This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, ‘I am not the Messiah.’

And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the prophet?’

He answered, ‘No.’ Then they said to him, ‘Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ He said, ‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord” ’, as the prophet Isaiah said.

...The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” I myself did not know him; but I came baptising with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel... And I myself have seen and have testified that this is
the Son of God.’

John 1: 19 – 23, 29 – 31, 34

................................................

The Second Elijah

or

John the Baptist   

There had been no real prophets in Israel since Malachi, some hundreds of years earlier;

John broke the silence of centuries. He came denouncing the sins of Israel

and calling on those who heard him to repent, as had the prophets of old,

but this time there was something new:

the people were to repent 'for the kingdom of heaven is at hand'.

Excitement began to build on the banks of the Jordan. Could this be the chosen one,
God's Messiah, that they had been waiting for so long?

No, John was not the Messiah, nor was he Elijah come back from the dead,
as some thought; but he was the 'second' Elijah, the one sent ahead of the Messiah to

prepare the hearts of God's children for what was to come.

He was a bridge between the Old and New Testaments; he was an emissary or ambassador – a servant
of the king, sent on ahead to make sure that people are ready to receive him.

On this third Sunday of Advent, the time is fast approaching for the coming of our King.

Let us prepare our hearts to receive Him.

Collect for the Day

O Lord Jesu Christ, who at thy first coming didst

send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee; Grant that the ministers and stewards of thy

mysteries may likewise so prepare and

make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,

that at thy second coming to judge the world

we may be found an acceptable people

in thy sight, who livest and reignest with

the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God,

world without end. Amen

Activity:

God's message to his people is often misunderstood: Play Chinese whispers! 

 

Advent photo courtesy of: lightondarkwater.typepad.com/ 

St Nicholas

  6^th December

 “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD,

and he will repay him for his deed.”

Proverbs 19 v 17 

The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.

The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.

All you have made will praise you, O LORD; your saints will extol you.

They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might, so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendour of your kingdom.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations.

The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving towards all he has made.

Psalm 145: 8 – 13

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.

When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me,

and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth,

anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

Mark 10: 13 - 16

.....................................................

Bishop of Myra

and Patron Saint of Children 

   

St Nicholas was born sometime around the turn of the third century AD.

Little is known of his life, but it is thought that he was the son of wealthy parents

who died when he was young; a devout Christian, St Nicholas used his inheritance

to help those in need: the poor, the sick, and the suffering.

Whilst he was still a young man, St Nicholas was made bishop of Myra -

an ancient town in Lycia, in what is now the southern coast of Turkey.

He became known for his generosity to those in need, and his love for children.

Under the Emperor Diocletian St Nicholas was persecuted

for being a Christian, and endured torture and imprisonment. After his release,

he attended the First Ecumenical Council (promoting unity among churches),

called the Council of Nicaea, in AD 325.

When the Dutch settlers went to New York in the 17^th century, they took their St Nicholas feast day celebrations with them; there, his name gradually changed from the Dutch

Sinterklaas to the English Santa Claus. He continues to be better known by this name,

and also as Father Christmas, in the English speaking world today.

Activity: 

Put out a shoe or slipper on St Nicholas' eve, and see if he brings you any gifts! 

(Or organise a gift-filled slipper for someone else...) 

 

2nd Sunday of Advent

3^rd Sunday before Christmas

  “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Isaiah 7 v 14

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth... Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them...
In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples – of him shall the nations enquire, and his resting-place shall be glorious. 
Isaiah 11: 1 – 6, 10

................................................. 

The Prophets

 

The second week in Advent is an opportunity to remember the

great prophets of the Old Testament. Speaking through these men,

God foretold the wonders of his plan of salvation for his people through Jesus Christ,

hundreds of years before the events took place: events such as the

immaculate conception, nativity, and even details of Jesus treatment at the hands

of the Roman soldiers, as he hung on the cross.

Though many people, including Jesus' disciples, did not realize who he was

when he dwelt on earth, after he died and rose again they remembered the prophesies about him,

and began to understand what they meant; they saw the hand of God at work and

recognized his authority in everything that had taken place,

and knew at last who Jesus was.

The Collect for the Day

Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning;

Grant that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly

digest them, that by patience, and comfort of thy holy Word,

we may embrace, and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,

which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Amen

Activity:

Make a timeline from Isaiah to the birth of Christ