Advent 2017 - Day 7

Day 7 - Elizabeth's reaction

Reading: Luke 1:24-25

Me? Now? How can this be? I thought my time was passed, and that was that. I almost dare not believe. And yet, Zechariah isn't surprised - though he still can't speak, I know him well enough after all these years to tell. And God has done this before, when Sarah laughed when told that she would bear Isaac. Nothing must go wrong. God, my Lord, has chosen to bless me, and I must ensure that I keep God's trust: the life that grows inside me.

Prayer Point: Pray for the older people of our Church, that they will know God's blessing.

Advent 2017 - Day 6

Day 6 - The Angel

Reading: Luke 1:19

I stand in God's presence, and I serve only Him; I have the privilege of hearing God's voice, sending Good News. When humans see me, they usually cower in fear; for I am awesome in their sight, a winged and majestic figure. I can say this, for I know as well my place: I am one of God's creations, just as they are, and I am required always to worship and do the will of my master. Poor Zechariah! So faithful and yet so lacking in faith! It's easier when you stand, knowingly, in God's presence.

Prayer Point: Marvel at knowing God's presence in your life, and praise Him for it!

Advent 2017 - Day 5

Day 5 - Zechariah's Vision

Reading: Luke 1:11-22

There stands the man, dumbfounded; the most joyful news of his life, unexpected, delivered by God's messenger. None may hear him speak, and yet in his silence his witness to God's glory is more eloquent than words. He has no voice, and yet the Lord speaks through him; his joy is unconfined, not limited by words. His son will be great in the sight of God, preparing the way for the Lord Himself. His son. John, son of Zechariah. His son!

Prayer Point: Pray for those whose voices are not heard, that they will know they are heard by God.

Advent 2017 - Day 4

Day 4 - Zechariah and Elizabeth

Reading: Luke 1:5-7

Today there's a couple - man and wife. They're not young; they're clearly in love with one another, and yet deep in their eyes there is a tinge of sadness. Theirs is a home full of love - and yet, the children that would have it lavished upon them have never come. The whispers, the snide comments - they've learned to live with them. Yet deep within still lies that pain - what have we done wrong? Haven't we always been true to God, and to each other? If only.....

Prayer Point: Think of those who want children, and those who have lost them.

Advent 2017 - Day 3

Day 3 - God's People (1^st Sunday of Advent)

Reading: Isaiah 64:1-4

Behind today's door, the picture shows a great crowd, crying out to God. God's people, living in oppression; the Roman occupiers dominate. The people long for freedom, and meanwhile their rulers - Rome, and those prepared to do what the occupiers want for their own share of power - show little interest in anything outside feathering their own nests. Surely God must hear them! Surely God will save them! And so the people wait, in hope, in fear, in longing. If only God would come.....

Prayer Point: Pray for those in our world today living under oppressive regimes.

Advent 2017 - Day 2

Day 2 - The Plan 

Reading: John 1:1-6

This time the door reveals a candle. The light shines in the darkness, and although we may not always realise, it has always been there. From the very first, this has been with God - has been God. Since the beginning of everything, God has been mysteriously not quite one, but not quite three; and, as the tides of history ebb to and fro, the plan that has long been made in the mind of God is about to come into action. God sees, God knows: and God acts. The time approaches, and the story is now to be told.

Prayer Point: Praise God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, whose wisdom, power, and glory are eternal.

Advent 2017 - Day 1

Day 1 – An Introduction

Reading: Genesis 1:1-4

The first door on the Advent Calendar, the flash of excitement. the countdown has begun. What's behind the door? The answer is, something that looks like a Blue Marble. What is this? Why is this? What's it got to do with Christmas? Is it maybe a decoration, a bauble to hang on a tree? But then you realise that the swirling pattern is not a random one; the shapes are not abstract, but familiar. There, in front of you, shining against the blackness, is our planet; our home. How strange, how fragile it looks! And yet, how important a place it seems to us! Important too, to the one that called it into being. The story of Advent is one for the whole Earth.

Prayer Point: That the whole Earth will come to know the Good News of Christ's Advent.