Christmas 2021

‘Tis the week before Christmas
And what should I write?
I guess no-one has time
To read what I write.
So to save myself bother
I’m recycling some stuff
That I’ve posted before
And I hope that‘s enough.

(With some new thoughts and a sound recording for 2021)

My prayer below was written as part of a blogging challenge in 2013 for Christmas Eve. It remains relevant today.

O God, our heavenly Father,
We praise and thank you for your many gifts to us.
At this time of Christmas we remember your mercy
in sending us your son, Jesus to be our saviour.
We pray for all the people of the world,
especially for those who are in any hardship at this time:
the lonely, those suffering in body, mind or spirit, refugees and all those without a home.
We pray for all who are working to alleviate suffering, to bring about peace and to spread the good news about Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace,
who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit and in whose name we pray. Amen

The world has been a challenging place to live throughout the ages. Christmas services of Nine lessons* and carols begin with the story of Adam and Eve hiding from God because they had disobeyed Him. Genesis 3:8-15 It ends before the point where they leave the garden of Eden, often referred to as paradise. Genesis 3:23

*readings from the Bible

In the reading about the birth of Jesus from Matthew’s gospel we are reminded that ‘they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.’

The climax of the service is the reading from the first chapter of the Gospel of John 1:1-14. We are reminded that if we receive Christ we are given the power to become children of God.

In a Christmas concert this year I read two of my poems. Click the link to hear a recording of them I made beforehand.

My final recycled item is a Christmas greeting from last year with my colouring of Joy to the World by Isaac Watts illustrated by Jacqui Grace in her colouring book Images of Joy.

Joy to the World

My card is a reminder that Christmas is still about the positive aspects of God’s gifts to us including Love, Joy and Peace.

Whatever your circumstances at this time, I pray that you will be blessed with a knowledge of the Giver of all good gifts.

Christmas Greetings!

This year has been difficult for everyone, but there is still hope. In John’s gospel 1:5 we read, The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

I prepared a digital Christmas card before the UK government announced a tightening of restrictions over Christmas. Now people are only allowed to meet on one day, forcing any plans for extended visits to be cancelled.

My card is a reminder that Christmas is still about the positive aspects of God’s gifts to us including Love, Joy and Peace.

Whatever your circumstances at this time, I pray that you will be blessed with a knowledge of the Giver of all good gifts.

The picture is one I have coloured from Images of Joy by Jacqui Grace, published by Just cards Direct.

(In 2013 I wrote a Christmas Eve prayer, which is still relevant today.)

Two more books I read in October 2020

The Foundling by Stacey Halls

I chose The Foundling on BorrowBox partly because the cover reminded me of that of The Muse, which I had read and enjoyed. It is a historical novel aimed at an adult readership. Set in London in Georgian times against a backdrop of people struggling for existence and the wealthy, the meeting of  these two worlds led to some interesting scenes in this book. There were many unexpected twists and turns. My only disappointment was that I I have to wait to borrow the author’s earlier book, The Familiars.

 

 

The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey

I recently became the owner of some books I had lived alongside as I was growing up. The Franchise Affair published in 1948 was one I remembered reading and enjoying in my late teens. I couldn’t remember anything else about it, so I reread it. Having been written in the early years following WWII, it described life in England at that time as the background to an unusual mystery. During WWII a National Day of Prayer* had been called. One of the characters in The Franchise Affair was a great believer in the power of intercessory prayer. That perhaps surprised me more now than it would have done the first time I read it as the culture of Britain has changed during the intervening years. The way the story unfolded shocked me when I was younger. The legal background was well-researched and I had to consult a dictionary for one of the technical terms.

Two highly recommended books.

* Today is the first day of the second national lockdown in England during the Covid-19 pandemic. The three most senior bishops of the Church of England have written to the clergy expressing their desire for this to be a month of prayer.