Skip to main content

Prayer Column - December 2021

Is it tomorrow yet?

Advent, and the church calendar countdown to Christmas 2021 is on. Some say, with a knowing tolerance, “Christmas is for the children”, ie, let them enjoy it while they still believe. And certainly childish excitement mounts as decorations appear in shops and streets and homes, and the air is filled with carols and stories about baby Jesus, donkeys, stables, innkeepers, angels and shepherds. A wonderland, crowned on the day by family gatherings, stockings and presents under the tree. Waiting!

But Jesus said emphatically that we can only enter the kingdom of God if we receive it like a child (Lk 18:17), so Christmas really is for the children. We adults have to abandon superior attitudes and enter afresh the world of wonder with childlike eyes: accepting the Bible stories as true. God really did come to earth as a baby, born of Mary, cared for by Joseph, long-foretold by the prophets of old. And we are right to celebrate, marvelling at all God does, and looking forward in trust to the new world he promises when Jesus comes again to complete his saving work.

But how can we ready ourselves, when we can’t know when it will be? Answer: by active anticipation. There is to be new life then: so live it out now – with Christian virtues of love, joy, peace, self-control and all the rest. There is to be universal harmony: so strive for inner integrity, with truth as our guide. Practice makes perfect, and we’re not there yet: so draw close to God and simply ask for the help we need, accepting with childlike open hearts and hands all the rich gifts he so generously gives.

Roy Lorrain-Smith

A prayer for each week

Father God, thank you for Christmas and Jesus, and thank you also for the written records. Please help us take it all in, and celebrate as we should. Amen.

Saving God, loving the world too much to leave it alone but sending Jesus to the rescue. Please open us to his living word, doing what he tells us. Amen.

Mysterious God, doing what seems impossible to our earthbound eyes, please help us believe all you say, and let it affect the whole way we live. Amen.

Steadfast God, keeping your word however detailed and personal or even cosmic in scope, may we each trust and obey, and find happiness in Jesus. Amen.

Your own prayers

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Soupermums! Wilsden Trinity Church

Do you have a young baby? Looking for something to do? If the answer is yes then Soupermums is for you. We're here from 11 until 1 every Monday, Mums (and dads) have a rest and the babies can play. Have a lovely sit down whilst you sip on a brew. Enjoy having someone else make lunch for you! Come along to Wilsden Church, meet the rest of the group. Lovely ladies cuddle the babies, whilst you eat your soup. Chat with the mums, new friends you will make. Swap tips and advice over a slice or two of cake. So what are you waiting for? come on along, For homemade treats, good company and if you're lucky a song. We're looking forward to meeting you, please come take a peek, 11-1 at Wilsden Trinity, we're here every week! Celine V  (a Soupermum!) Where can new mums go, to have lunch where it’s warm and safe and you get to eat fresh soup and homemade cakes, while someone holds your baby? Too big an ask? Not at Wilsden Trinity! Every Mond...

May message from the Ministry Team

Dear friends One of the ‘deep wells’ that replenishes my spirituality is the practice of ‘Lectio Divina’ which is an ancient method for praying with the Bible. It literally means ‘divine reading’, or ‘reading in a godly kind of way’. We rush about so much these days and practising the discipline of a slower reading of the Bible to allow it to speak to us is an integral aspect of Lectio Divina. If you want to try it yourself, read slowly a short passage of text that you have decided upon in advance, letting your awareness rest in turn upon each word. As you read, be alert for any particular word or phrase that draws your attention in a special way. Then meditate on this word or phrase, allowing it to engage you fully. Does the word connect with some aspect of your own experience? As you hold this in your heart, let yourself become aware of any answering words, images, or memories that arise in you. Then finally respond through prayer to the word you have heard, simply and directl...