Advent is that season of expectation, when we await the First and Second Coming of Christ – as Saviour and then as Judge. Traditionally, Advent includes looking at the dark things – including Death and Judgement. Advent means “arrival.” And so we wait expectantly for Christ to come.
The first coming of Christ our Saviour was as a baby in a manger. Continue reading
Here we are a week after Christmas. I suspect mince pies and Christmas cake have lost their shine right now. And biscuits. And turkey. Maybe even chocolate!
Yet we are still journeying through the Christmas story. And we are still thinking of the nativity and its scenes.
In Bethlehem, the world’s most earth-shattering event has happened. Silently, a wondrous gift was given… a gift that meets all the hopes and fears of all the years. There was no fanfare. No trumpets. Mortals sleep. The silent stars go by. And a King of an eternal Kingdom is born. The baby – God’s son – lies asleep in a manger as the shepherds come to visit him.
We are here. The 4th Sunday in Advent. Christmas Eve. The season of waiting for the coming of Christ. We’ve been to carol services, started on mince pies and watched the nativity plays.
Last Sunday I was at the Ballyholme children’s nativity. In it, the little Angel tells the little Joseph the amazing things that would happen – how Mary, his fiancée, was going to have a baby, but it was God’s plan. Joseph listens, pauses, and responds with a beautifully underwhelmed, “oh, OK.” Continue reading