In the run up to Christmas what are you looking forward to? Have you ordered something a little special for yourself? Or are you filled with anticipation of what family and friends may have in store for you? Perhaps you’re not so fortunate, money may be too tight to buy and give gifts; or you may be on your own. What does Christmas hold for you?
This period, covering the four Sundays before Christmas Day, is known by Christians around the world as Advent. It’s a time to prepare our hearts to celebrate the threefold coming of Jesus – his physical coming in the Incarnation in Bethlehem, his coming into our hearts when we commit ourselves to his kingdom and allow his Spirit to transform our lives, and his return to the Earth when he completes the work of perfecting the whole of creation.
It's a time when, no matter how humble our circumstances, we can rejoice and be truly grateful for His gift of love to each one of us.
To understand more about who Jesus is, and why he came you can do no better than to take the challenge of reading Dr Luke’s account of Jesus’ nativity in Bethlehem and his life. There are just 24 chapters in the book of Luke, you could read one each day and think on the words and their meaning and prayerfully ask God to help you understand them. Follow this link to The Bible app – its free to use with no adverts! You can download the app or access Bible.com online.
We light a candle to mark each of the four Sundays and a fifth (white) candle on Christmas day.