Being Awake or Woken Up - 27 November

Reflection

If we think of Advent as being a time of preparedness and of being attentive then this First Sunday of Advent calls us to be awake. Being caught napping at a critical point can at times be embarrassing. To be caught out in this way can result in us missing out on so much.

May we be ever vigilant to God’s Spirit moving in this world. Underpinning this vigilance is the hope that God will deliver on promises, in God’s time and in God’s way. On our side, may there be a deep yearning in us for the coming of the Lord, and God’s bringing to completion what was achieved in His death and resurrection. Is this desire for the Lord to come again strong in our hearts? Or are we quite happy to settle for the ‘same again, please’ of a more worldly celebration of Christmas, focussing on the elements that we enjoy but which are quite empty if they are taken away from their Christian origins and the hope for the future? May we be awake to God’s presence.

Prayer

Thank you Creator God.  
What a gift this day is from you from the blazing sunrise through a cloudy winter sky to the setting sunset.  
Lord in this day, may you gift me with a sight that I often miss at other times of year, when the weather is warmer and the sun rises before I get up.  In this day may I be aware of your grace lighting up my life. As I wait and watch in silence for your coming may I be filled with a sense of your presence in my life. Amen

Readings
Isaiah 2:1-5, Matthew 24:37-44 and Romans 13:11-14

Song or Hymn:
O come O Come Emmanuel

Sunday 28 December - Advent 1 - A Spiritual Advent

A Spiritual Advent

"To you O Lord, I lift up my Soul—Psalm 25:1"

Readings - Jeremiah 33:12-16, Psalm 25 and Luke 21:25-28

Reflection

Advent (from the Latin word adventus, meaning "coming") is considered to be the beginning of the Church Year for most churches in the Western tradition. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day, which is the Sunday nearest November 30, and ends on Christmas Eve (Dec 24). If Christmas Eve is a Sunday, it is counted as the fourth Sunday of Advent, with Christmas Eve proper beginning at sundown
Advent is also a spiritual journey that Christians take, through the truths of Scripture that point to the birth of Messiah, to a reaffirmation that he has come, is present in the world today and will come again in glory. It mirrors the journey of faith that Christians make after that moment of realisation and acceptance of who Jesus is, in that we take that first step of faith in commitment, continue hopefully to walk the road of faith and increasing understanding, and look forward to our destination, which is to be in his presence forever!

May you be more fully aware of God as you journey through Advent.

Prayer
Loving God. As I enter this Advent season,
open my eyes to see in new ways the delight and wonder of your love.
In the darkness help me to see the promise of light and peace.
In the cry of the hungry help me see the possibility of a world where all are fed.
In my own yearnings and weakness help me to see the hope of Christ.
And in the eager anticipation of the coming of Jesus, may
I embrace the dawn of a new heaven and a new earth. Amen

Additional Prayer Ideas
We pray for all in our churches-those we meet through our weekly activities.
May we may reveal the light of Christ to them this Advent.