Sunday, 20 December 2015

Advent Day 22 - More carols!



A good day: three carol services, a lunch round the neighbours and a Christmas tea and the right result on The Apprentice just now!

I used this reading today. So tired so have no original thoughts tonight but share this. It is from a book my colleague Peggy brought to a quiet day earlier this month called Kneeling in Bethlehem by Ann Weems.

The words point me to the heart of what I have tried to share today. It has been a real joy to be with three of my congregations today - the atmosphere in each was very powerful. 

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
God’s mercies never come to an end.
They are new every morning.
The Lord God gave the peoples of the earth a garden,
and the people said; “That’s very nice, God, but that’s not
enough. We’d like a little knowledge, please.”
The Lord God gave them knowledge,
And the people said, “Now that we have knowledge,
we’d like things.
The Lord God gave the people things,
but they always said, “That’s not quite enough.”

So the Lord God gave them gifts unequalled:
the sun
lightning and thunder
rain and flowers
animals and birds and fish
trees and stars and the moon.
God gave them the rainbow.
God parted the Red Sea and gave them manna.
God gave them prophets
and children
and each other,
 but still the people said, “That’s no quite enough.”
God loved the people,
and out of ultimate merciful goodness
God gave them the Gift of Gifts,
a Christmas present never to be forgotten.
God gave them love
in the form of God’s son,
even Christ Jesus.
There are some that don’t open their eyes
or their ears or their hearts
and they still say, that’s not quite enough.
They wander through the stores looking for Christmas.


But others open their whole being to the Lord,
bending their knees to praise God,
carrying Christmas with them every day.

For these the whole world is a gift!

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