Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
4 December 2025
11 December 2020
24 December 2017
25 December 2015
25 December 2014
Celebrate
Luke 2:21-38 (NIV)
On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every first-born male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
The child’s father and mother marvelled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
(picture: taken at the Christmas Day celebration meeting at our church today. Yours truly, front right!)
On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.
When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every first-born male is to be consecrated to the Lord”), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
The child’s father and mother marvelled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.
(picture: taken at the Christmas Day celebration meeting at our church today. Yours truly, front right!)
26 November 2014
Getting Ready
Advent is just around the corner. In the modern church calendar, it's time to get ready, waiting for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. The term is an anglicised version of the Latin "adventus", meaning "coming".
It's a time of preparation. The decorations come out. A Christmas tree becomes the central point in many houses and shops. In some homes an Advent wreath is placed on the dining table and the candles lit at mealtimes. It's a time for baking, for writing cards, for singing of Christmas songs and carols. Advent calendars count down the day until Christmas.
All of these are opportunities to teach about the significance of this special time, and to remind ourselves of it as well.
Advent for this year begins on Sunday, 30th November 2014.
Are you ready?
13 November 2014
Christmas Is Coming...
We're now practicing Christmas songs and carols in our Singers group.
I've received my tickets for the first Carol Service of the season.
At work we are now planning 'Christmas Jumper Day'
This coming Saturday is the Corps' Christmas Fayre (10am - 2pm, come along, lots on offer!)
Everything is busy, busy, busy.
And yet, there still hasn't been time to think about my own Christmas! About gifts for my own family, what we are going to be doing on Christmas Day (I mean, after church and before Doctor Who)...
So does that mean that I've forgotten the real message of the season? Am I so wrapped up in tinsel and sentiment, turkey and all the trimmings, the fairy-tale imagery of Christmas, that I have forgotten my faith?
Do I have room for the real Christmas story?
It's the story of Mary and Joseph, a young couple who had set up home in Nazareth, miles away from their family. Mary was heavily pregnant and her delivery was just around the corner. Suddenly, news reached them that the vagaries of local government had dictated that they had to travel to their home town for a census, a precursor for more taxes.
The couple both hailed from Bethlehem, so that meant a 90-mile journey across rugged terrain. Even if you assume they travelled an average of 20 miles a day, that's still a five day trip, with no possibility of shelter at night, and with threats of attack by animals or robbers. Not a good prospect for anyone, let alone a mum-to-be who is just about to deliver...
By the time they arrived in town, all of the accommodation was taken - there wasn't a room to be had anywhere. And so, Mary had to give birth in less than perfect surroundings. The squalour of a borrowed stable.
And yet - this child was destined to be the Saviour of the World!
Is this the way that the King of Kings should have started life? Surely He could have been born in an elegant mansion. And if you were planning the birth of a Messiah, would you have subjected Him to such an entry into the world?
But this is the way God planned it - and planned it to the slightest detail. For instance, Scripture had always said the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (see Micah 5:2 - the book of Micah was written about 700 years before the birth). So that's what Mary and Joseph had to do. They had to go to Bethlehem.
Take time to plan now. Where are you going to spend Christmas?
16 August 2014
Q is for sQualor
26 December 2013
25 December 2013
24 December 2013
23 December 2013
22 December 2013
21 December 2013
20 December 2013
19 December 2013
18 December 2013
17 December 2013
16 December 2013
15 December 2013
Advent Photo-A-Day: 15th December
(wordsearch taken from http://www.netplaces.com/christmas-word-search/chapter-3-christmas-music/o-come-o-come-emmanuel.htm)
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