Month: December 2024

As a person with limited sight, I rely on my other four senses to make up for what I lack. However, I am able to see light and colour, a blessing I appreciate doubly at Christmas.

I grew up in the Rhondda Valley, a twenty-minute car-ride from Cardiff. In those days, the shops in the capital stayed open until 8 PM on Thursdays during the month of December, and the streets were decked with trees and twinkling lights.

Our family waited until a few days before Christmas to do our late-night shopping. We weren’t interested in joining the endlessly snaking queues, just in soaking up the atmosphere, admiring the lights around Cardiff castle, the displays in the shop windows, and the festive music.

For many, Christmas shopping is stressful. Meeting endless demands diminishes the joy of the season. Now we have black Friday and the pressure of competing for bargains. I still watch from a distance because I don’t have children demanding the latest PlayStation or the must have toy. I am relieved I can participate in the buzz of late-night shopping for pleasure rather than out of necessity. Yet it saddens me that the greatest gift of all was freely given yet is ignored by so few.

I heard a song many years ago that left a lasting impression on my heart. It talks about the queues at the shopping malls and the modern-day emphasis on Santa and presents, and asks a simple question; Where’s the Line to see Jesus?

Prayer.

Lord, in all the hustle and bustle of choosing the right gifts, may we never forget the greatest gift of all.

Song: Where’s the line to see Jesus by Becky Kelley

Scriptures to ponder.

Matthew 6: 19-20: “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.”
2Corinthians 9:15: “Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!”

My dad wasn’t a huge Christmas fan. He wasn’t Scrooge, but neither was he a barrel of festive laughs. For him, it was all about reaching out to the lonely, ensuring no one felt overlooked or neglected.

My parents wrote over a hundred cards every year. Some went in the post box, but if we could hand-deliver them, we did. After tea on dark December evenings, Dad and I would climb into his works van and drive around the neighbourhood delivering cards and small gifts. He planned our circuit and organised the pile of cards accordingly. It was my job to hand them over at each stop so Dad could play Postman Jeffrey and slip them through the relevant doors.

We didn’t have time to visit everyone, but if the recipient of the card was a widow or just someone who lived on their own, we gladly accepted their invitation to go inside for a cup of tea and a biscuit. Dad bought potted plants to cheer the homes of Auntie Penny who lived with chronic arthritis, and Auntie Peggy who hardly ever had visitors. Although they weren’t blood relatives, my father’s huge heart had welcomed them as part of our extended family.

In return for the cards they sent, my parents had a huge pile of their own. I loved admiring the colourful display. My mother strung them around the house throughout the festive season. After Christmas, she took them to be recycled.

A greeting on a Christmas card is a tiny thing, but it is one way to show we care, to simply say, “I’m thinking of you.” It is an avenue for extending the love of our Saviour, who never neglects or forgets his lonely and hurting children.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, please help us not to overlook the small things this Christmas time. Help us to value one another as you do. May we remember that a simple greeting on a card or a chat over the phone can have a huge impact on a lonely person.

Song: Christmas Card by Steven Curtis Chapman.

Scriptures to ponder.

Psalm 68: 6: “God places the lonely in families;”
James 1: 27: “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.”

How early is too early? Is it safe to confess my decorations go up near the beginning of November? I can almost hear your collective groan. “That’s too soon!”

One of my favourite things about Christmas is the lights. As a teenager, I filled every available inch in my bedroom with objects that twinkled and shone. I even had a miniature tree, and one year, a circle of lilac lights hung from the ceiling above my bed. They proved to be a nuisance because they kept coming unstuck, but they felt like a great idea at the time. When the lights go up, I know Christmas is really on its way.

My Christmas lights remind me of Jesus, the Light of the World. We need him to shine into the darkness, reminding us there is still light and hope to be found.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for being the Light of the World. Thank You that Your light will outshine any darkness. Help us to share Your light during this Advent season, especially with those who don’t know You.

Song: Light of the World (Sing Hallelujah) by We the Kingdom.

Scriptures to ponder.

John 8: 12: “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.””
John 1: 5: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.”

I always knew Christmas was coming when my mother sat poised with a pen and paper and informed me it was time to write my wish list. She never went into detail about how it found its way to Father Christmas, and I never asked. However, I knew I wouldn’t get everything I wanted. I was told my parents sent Father Christmas a set amount of money, and he decided how to spend it. Once the money ran out, that was it.

My lists were lengthy because I loved surprises. The more I asked for, the less likely I was to know what would be waiting under the tree. It added to the excitement of Christmas Morning. If a particular toy or game didn’t arrive, I’d either wait until my birthday, or ask again the following year. Obviously, I hoped for some things more than for others, but the hoping and wishing combined with the festive excitement.

My parents’ method for handling Christmas with a young child taught me a great deal about hope, which is what we celebrate when we light the first advent candle at the beginning of December. The hope candle is also called the prophecy candle because it represents the Old Testament prophets who anticipated the coming of the Messiah. They shared a message of hope that light would shine during dark times, and this is a message we still share today.

No one knew exactly when Jesus would be born, but those who listened to the prophets understood why he was coming. Sin had created a barrier of separation between God and mankind. Only a perfect sacrifice could break that barrier down and make a way for us to spend eternity in heaven.

Hope is a powerful emotion. Sometimes our hopes are flimsy, and at others, hope overlaps with certainty. If we know Jesus as our Saviour, we have the sure and certain hope of heaven.

Prayer.

Thank You, Jesus, that hope has a name.

Song: Hope has a name by River Valley Worship.

Scriptures to Ponder.

Isaiah 40: 31: “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.”
Romans 15: 13: “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Here we are again, heading into one of my favourite annual traditions – the season of advent. AS a child and even a teenager, I looked forward to Christmas with eager anticipation as soon as the nights started drawing in and we returned to school after the long summer break. I danced around the schoolyard with my friends singing ‘Twelve weeks to go until Christmas’, then eleven, and ten, and so on.

I didn’t grow up in a church culture that celebrated advent, but it’s something I’ve come to appreciate during the past few years. It’s important to take time to reflect and to prepare our hearts to remember the miracle of the Son of God being born into this world as a helpless baby.

We’re all impatient, yet waiting is a discipline we should learn to embrace. The best things are worth waiting for. It takes nine months to carry a baby, so Mary had her own long pause between the angel Gabriel’s visit and the birth of her miracle.

How will you wait this advent? Let’s pause to reflect each as we linger together.

Prayer:

Lord, please help us to take the time during this season of advent to wait quietly in your presence, to reflect on your love and the true miracle of Christmas.

Song: Advent Hymn by Christy Nockels.

Scriptures to ponder.

Psalm 46: 10: “Be still, and know that I am God!”
Psalm 27: 14: “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”