Advent 14th December

"Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,   And by His scourging we are healed. Isaiah 53:1-5"

Readings

Isaiah 53:1-5, 
Luke 1: 46-56
Philippians 3:1-11

Reflection

 

It is impossible to truly celebrate Christmas if we do not have in mind the purpose of Christmas. If we just focus on the worldly trappings and the external pressures then our hearts will be empty. We celebrate His coming because of what He came to accomplish on our behalf. Though He left the throne room of the universe to come, He had no royal aura or characteristics by which we could recognize Him. He took on a humble body, in a humble town, within a humble (some would even say scandalous) family; He lived a humble life, and He died a humble (most would say scandalous) death. His death was grotesquely scandalous. The only perfect and truly righteous man ever to walk this earth died the death of a hardened and wicked criminal. In truth, this was the greatest crime of all time. Why this ugly, awful, and offensive death for the most beautiful, righteous, and loving of men? “He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities.” And what He came to do, He accomplished. This is why we celebrate love beyond all telling! Saviour and King, we worship Thee.

 

Prayers

Lord, lighten our darkness.
Let the bright shafts of your love colour our lives.
Let us be transformed as the light of the morning star blazes in our hearts, that we may show your light in the dark places of this world.
Amen.