Dear Friends,
We are in the last days of Advent now, and savouring the countdown to the Nativity festival. The daily readings are rich in the sense of yearning for better things.
Today the Gospel turns from John the Baptist to Joseph and Mary, as it prepares us to celebrate the birth of God’s special one, Jesus Christ. Joseph is told that, by the power of God’s Holy Spirit, Mary is to bear a child who will be called ‘Emmanuel’, which means ‘God is with us’. They turned their lives around to enable ‘the Word to become flesh and dwell among us’.
The whole of the Christian life, and indeed the whole of any wise and reflective life at all, is about learning and discovering that great truth, that ‘God is with us.’ The whole life and death of Jesus shows us what that means. Through the Holy Spirit, each one of us has the opportunity to discover what it means in our context, and to turn our lives around to make it clearly so. God is with us, and it matters. As we gather to be God’s people, to hear the Scriptures together, to break the bread and share his cup, we are proclaiming ‘God is with us’, and it matters. As we care, and trust, and reconcile, and forgive, and give hospitality in the exchanges of everyday life, so we are proclaiming ‘God is with us’, and it matters very much. It makes all the difference. That is why we are Christians, that is why we are Church, that is why we have a mission. God is truly with all that he has made: this is his message to the world at Christmas.
Tonight we shall enjoy the Service of Lessons and Carols for Christmas. The choir is in very fine form. I hope that many of you will come and bring friends as well, for this lovely service of scriptural and musical meditation on the Christmas story. You may be able to bring a small contribution of food or drink for a supper afterwards.
On Monday evening at 6:30 pm we shall welcome children and their families to the children’s carol service. Please invite any children you know. After the short service there will be a Christmas supper for the children.
Finally, I hope that the Christian World Service Christmas Appeal will again receive generous support (gifts are tax deductible). Envelopes are available today. It is good for us to be intentionally generous to those who have few resources, at a time when we spend so much on ourselves. CWS has a proven track record and we can give through this agency with confidence.
I look forward to celebrating Christmas with you at S. Michael’s. May it be a happy and blessed time for you all.
May God bless you all.
Fr Peter Williams
Advent Readings: Week Four
Monday Isaiah 7: 10–14 Luke 1: 26–38
Tuesday Zephaniah 3: 14–18 Luke 1: 39–45
Wednesday 1 Samuel 1: 24–28 Luke 1: 46–56
Thursday Malachi 3: 1–4, 4:5–6 Luke 1: 57–66
Friday 2 Samuel 7: 1–5, 8–12, 14, 16 Luke 1: 67–79
Monday Isaiah 7: 10–14 Luke 1: 26–38
Tuesday Zephaniah 3: 14–18 Luke 1: 39–45
Wednesday 1 Samuel 1: 24–28 Luke 1: 46–56
Thursday Malachi 3: 1–4, 4:5–6 Luke 1: 57–66
Friday 2 Samuel 7: 1–5, 8–12, 14, 16 Luke 1: 67–79
CWS Christmas Appeal Theme: “Share the care” A prayer for Gaza: where mother and baby clinics are maintained in the midst of siege and conflict, where thousands of children have been given a healthy start in life, and where their mothers can find a safe environment in which to share their stories.
Loving God, we bring before you the people of Palestine, especially the children. We pray for the maternal and child health clinics of Palestine, which are working to bring health to the people. Bless the mothers who must raise their children in traumatic circumstances. Bless the children as they grow up in the midst of conflict. May they know that they are loved and valued and may they inherit a future free of conflict and filled with love and hope. Amen.
Please give generously this Christmas,
and share the care with CWS partners
Loving God, we bring before you the people of Palestine, especially the children. We pray for the maternal and child health clinics of Palestine, which are working to bring health to the people. Bless the mothers who must raise their children in traumatic circumstances. Bless the children as they grow up in the midst of conflict. May they know that they are loved and valued and may they inherit a future free of conflict and filled with love and hope. Amen.
Please give generously this Christmas,
and share the care with CWS partners
