From our Ministry Team
- We have been conspiring to celebrate Christmas by worshiping fully, spending less, giving more and loving all
- Today we can celebrate the appearance of Jesus as a vulnerable baby who perfectly shows God’s mercy for the world. As the letter to Titus in the Bible says:
- The kindness and love of God our Saviour has appeared. He has saved us. It isn’t because of the good things we had done. It is because of his mercy
Activity: Join in prayer to worship Jesus and thank him for coming into the world and showing us God’s mercy.
Bible Readings
- Nativity of the Lord II
- Isa. 62:6–12
- Ps. 97
- Titus 3:4–7
- Luke 2:[1–7] 8–20
- Nativity of the Lord III
- Isa. 52:7–10
- Ps. 98
- Heb. 1:1–4 [5–12]
- John 1:1–14
Prayer
This Christmas and beyond, Lord, please open our eyes, ears, mouths, and hearts to celebrate the coming of Jesus and the sharing of God’s love and grace in the world
May we, individually and collectively, choose to share that love in some way, large, small, silently, nurturing, feeding, listening, praying, advocating, visiting, planting seeds with the people we know, those we meet and with those strangers who will become friends
Amen
Reflection
John does not tell the story of the baby in the manger, but starts by identifying Jesus as the Word, which links with the Genesis creation philosophy and embraces both Jews and Gentiles. He refers to John the Baptist as a witness to Jesus, raising awareness, and pointing to Jesus and his example as a connection to God
The passage invites us to ponder ‘who are God’s children, isn’t it all people?’ Later in the gospel John suggests yes, but that not all people / children reflect well on their parents. In following Jesus and sharing his love and actions we are encouraged to be permeated by the divine and to offer that to others in a myriad of different ways, according to our own God-given gifts
John challenges us to move beyond the spiritual concept and understand that earthly life and example is the very place where God’s love can shine and that we can be a loving vehicle of sharing that love. Help us to both be and see God’s work in the world and show us how we are equipped or can learn to walk with others and join in as witnesses
Some ideas to help us Love all (from the website)
- Donate the money you saved from spending less
- Invite someone to church with you this week. Share a meal together after
- Be the person with an extra dose of patience this week. Listen well to others, offer grace
- Read Matthew 25. Notice how much Jesus cares about the way we love and serve others
- Ask your local church what serving opportunities there are and how you can get involved
- Pray for families around the world that are in need: single mums, refugees, villages without clean water, the homeless in your city
- Find a local organization to volunteer at. Go with your family, friends, or small group. Then talk about the experience and see what you learned
With thanks…
And as we close our daily Advent Reflections with Christmas Day, may we give thanks to those who helped compile and create this resource. Many thanks to Wendy, Nigel and Ken.