“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” John 1:14 At the end of a long season of waiting advent is coming to an end. The night was dark but light was on the way. Not […]
Author: PeteMcM
We have a problem (Dec 23)
We have a problem, you and me See we’ve all rebelled against holy God You can argue your innocence But death is the proof Our rebellion is sin and sin leads to death So we have a problem, you and me For we all break God’s laws We all fall short of His standards Our […]
Wait and rejoice (Dec 22)
“It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”” Isaiah 25:9 Advent is a time of waiting. A time for remembering that first wait for […]
Waiting – thoughts from Bonhoeffer (Dec 21)
Today, as we wait eagerly for Christmas which is so close now, I wanted to share some thoughts on waiting from Bonhoeffer, taken from his advent reflections book God is in the Manger: “Waiting is an art that our impatient age has forgotten. It wants to break open the ripe fruit when it has hardly […]
I give my heart (Dec 20)
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Romans 12:1 I was struck recently by the lyrics of the last verse of the carol In the Bleak mid-winter: “What can I give him, poor as I […]
Ever adoring (Dec 19)
There is a slogan “A dog is for life not just for Christmas” and I think as Christians we can get caught in the trap of thinking celebrating the birth of Jesus is just for Christmas. We put lots of energy and effort into Christmas services. We have all the carols and festive Bible readings. […]
Let every heart prepare Him room (Dec 18)
“but in your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy” 1 Peter 3:15 There is section in the classic carol Joy to the World that goes “let every heart prepare Him room” that I think is an important reminder reminder for us as we approach Christ. We need to remember to honour Christ the Lord as holy. […]
Refugees welcome because of the manger (Dec 17)
“And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and remained there until the death of Herod” Matthew 2:14-15 The birth of Jesus was not widely celebrated on the first Christmas. King Herod in particular felt threatened when the wise men came looking for the newborn baby they said had been born to […]
Come and worship (Dec 16)
We are getting closer and closer to Christmas. By now you probably have decorations up, cards written and some of your shopping done. Everything is underway. But today we need to take time and remember that the only truly fitting response to the birth of Jesus, the long awaited righteous branch, our liberator and the […]
The Righteous Branch (Dec 15)
“There will come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight […]