ADVENT 1
Luke 2.1-7
2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
As many of the shops remain closed because of the pandemic, some of us are turning to online Christmas shopping and receiving messages like the one I got this morning from a delivery company: “We’re expecting your parcel” ... it will soon be on its way. That got me thinking about the Christmas story and how often it starts with a heavily pregnant Mary and her fiancée Joseph on their way to Bethlehem. Of course, the story starts much further back than that, as prophets like Isaiah speak about a promised Messiah, someone who would come and turn everything upside down for good and show us that God loves us and is with us. The people waited a long, long time for that arrival of Jesus, but he was definitely worth the wait. Hope personified!
This year has certainly been a topsy turvy kind of year and we continue to wait for the return of something that resembles normal. It’s brought out the best and the worst, made many of us reflect on our priorities and give thanks for things we have and the people in our lives who support and love us.
As we arrive at the last month of 2020, Christmas is on the way. And so, as we begin the countdown, may we pause for a moment on our journey and reflect on what and who are we grateful for? What we are waiting and longing for? And how can we bring hope to others this Christmas time?
Why not make yourself a cuppa, have a listen to this youtube video and take a minute to pause and be.
https://youtu.be/iO7ySn-Swwc
If you’d like to think some more about who Jesus is, then a great place to start is the gospels. Luke has 24 chapters, so if you read a chapter a day during Advent, you’ll have heard about the life of Jesus by the time Christmas Eve arrives ... just in time to celebrate his arrival on Christmas day!
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