Advent Reflections | Day 24 | Sunday 24th December

24th December

Written by Sheila Collins

O Little Town of Bethlehem

‘How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given. So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his Heaven.’

‘So, here it is merry Christmas, everybody's having fun’, so sang gritty voiced Noddy Holder in 1973 and every year since contributing to the annual bombardment of our senses: fleeting, noisy ephemera, shiny, tinsely things, life sized Santas, jingling reindeer, TV adverts for mountains of food appear to befuddle our minds and expand our waistlines.                                                We choose to be continually connected to one another thanks to our portable electronic devices providing constant information, entertainment, news, social media, music, and more. It’s ever more possible to fill our lives with cacophonous, dissonant visual and auditory experiences which don’t allow, or maybe we choose not to allow, for silence or space to listen.                                                                                                                                           In contrast the author of ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ wrote: ‘How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given! So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven:…….’

 Bernard McGinn, in ‘The Growth of Mysticism’ quotes a medieval monastic theologian who compares silence in the human soul to the presence of God in the heart: ‘While the rumble of human speaking ceases, the temple of the Holy Spirit is being built in you through silence.’

In 1 Kings the prophet Elijah sought out the presence of God and encountered Him but not in a mighty rushing wind, a terrifying earthquake or crackling fire but in what some call a still small voice and others - the sound of sheer silence.

 Go to a quiet place of your choice, not just this Advent and Christmas, but often. Switch off the cacophonous noise and listen, close your eyes to distracting visual stimulae and wait in silence. There God will meet with you and bless you with His wondrous gift of our saviour Jesus; praying that your hearts will be filled with the joy that comes from knowing Him.

Advent Reflections | Day 23 | Sunday 23rd December

23rd December

Written by Alex Walker

O Come, All Ye Faithful

“Who would not love thee, loving us so dearly?”

I find it captures something profoundly moving about the season and something more in my role as the church organist. This line reminds us of the warmth and intimacy that Christmas brings to our church. It's a moment in the song that reaches straight to the heart—an invitation to respond to a love so selfless that it's almost impossible not to feel moved by it.

Playing this line on the organ feels like carrying forward that message of love to everyone listening. The music rises through the church, and it feels like it’s creating a space where people can feel and reflect on that divine love. The phrase "Who would not love thee?" isn’t just a rhetorical question; it’s an invitation, a call to respond. It prompts us all, especially in the Christmas season, to consider the love we’re shown and how we might reflect that back in our lives.

From my seat at the organ, I watch faces soften, hear voices join together, and see a community respond to this invitation. Music has a way of touching the soul where words can’t always reach, and playing these familiar, cherished carols feels like offering a gift—a way for each person to feel the nearness of God’s love. It’s humbling to be part of this, to play a role in bringing a carol that has carried this question of love through the ages to life in our own church. In a season so full of busy preparations and gatherings, this line reminds us that, at its heart, Christmas is about that pure, overflowing love.

Advent Reflections | Day 22 | Sunday 22nd December

22nd December

Written by Mary Impey

Away in A Manger

“Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay close by me for ever, and love me, I pray.”

I was about 3 when l first heard this carol. We went to Sunday School each week, held in a wooden hut whilst a permanent Church was under construction.  We sang choruses, heard stories from the Old Testament and then at Christmas it was carols and the story of a baby born in a stable, and laid in a manger, because “there was no room in the inn.”  His parents Mary and Joseph had travelled from Nazareth to Bethlehem, taking three days, to register as a family as ordered by the Roman Emperor, Augustus. Today this is called a Census.

After His birth, an unusually bright Star shone over the stable and we learned that shepherds and Wisemen followed the star, travelling hundreds of miles to worship this special baby, called Jesus, the promised Messiah.

As children, hearing this story, we didn’t realise that Jesus was in immediate danger.  The King on the throne at that time was Herod and he was known to be both cruel and ruthless and he felt threatened by this baby. So much so that he orders the death of all baby boys under the age of two years.  However, an angel appears to Joseph in a dream and tells him not to return to Nazareth but to travel to Egypt where they lived safely for about two years, before returning to Nazareth and the village where Joseph was a carpenter and they had their own home.

Last week in my newspaper there was a picture of a Senior member of the Royal family, visibly distressed, as she emerged from a “Maternity Tent” erected on the border with Gaza.  She had visited mothers and their babies, born as they endeavoured to escape from war zones, hoping to find refuge and safety in other areas, possibly in another country.  It appears little has changed and mankind still covets land and possessions of others.

Fortunately, we know that Jesus grew up and died that we might live and we can say, prayerfully ............

Be near me Lord Jesus, l ask Thee to stay, Close by us forever and love us l pray, Bless ALL the Dear Children in Thy tender care

And fit us forever to live with Thee there.

Advent Reflections | Day 21 | Sunday 21st December

21st December

Written by Mike Holmes

See, Amid the Winter’s Snow

“Sacred infant, all divine, what a tender love was thine, thus to come from higher bliss, down to such a world as this!”

Sacrifice…in the nativity?  Surely, we can be spared the horrors of the Passion at this time of year – let’s imbibe the joys of Christmas with mulled wine, jingle bells, and blurry eyes, amid the winter’s snow.  Yet this carol does hint at some kind of divine sacrifice: plunging from bliss to such a world as this.  St John elaborates something similar:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). 

So if “God so loved the world”, is “such a world as this” really that bad and, if so, is God’s descent intended to save us from the world or save the world from us?  1 John 2:2 suggests a bit of both: a “sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” – i.e. not only to redeem our individual souls but also the collective soul of the World.  1 John 2:15-17 is certainly scathing about how our love affair with the world can turn sour, leaving us entirely alienated from God and in desperate need of salvation:

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

So on the one hand we are told “do not love the world” and yet “God so loved the world…” regardless of its faults.  Worldly “love” is quite clearly different from heavenly “love”.

Christ’s radical truth lights the way out of slavery, beyond sin and onwards towards the Kingdom of God, much as the star of Bethlehem guided the Magi away from the tyranny of the worldly king, Herod, onwards to their true newborn king, an infant as royal and divine as he was vulnerable, in keeping with their respective gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Whilst Christ indubitably brings the Kingdom of God to us in this world, Jesus is clear that “My kingdom is not of this world…my kingdom is from another place” (John 18:36).  As Saying 3 of the Gospel of Thomas suggests, this Kingdom is intangible yet realisable:

“…the kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living father.”

This spiritual notion of the Kingdom of God certainly chimes with St John’s mystical nativity, which reveals:

“The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:9-13)

If we can but “See, Amid the Winter’s Snow”, through the blinding blizzard of selfish desire, the Lamb of God will appear.  Let us receive Christ, of our own free will, with a Will freed from sin’s tyranny.  Through truly believing in his “name” (i.e. believing that “God saves”, as per the Hebrew meaning of “Yeshua”), having tasted for ourselves the higher bliss of the Kingdom of God, may we fulfil our destiny by becoming “a sacred infant, all divine…” to lovingly carry the light of Christ to others in “such a world as this”. 

Advent Reflections | Day 20 | Sunday 20th December

20th December

Written by David Walker

Good King Wenceslas

“Ye who now will bless the poor, shall yourselves find blessing.”

A famous actor is reputed to have said, ‘I’ve been poor, and I’ve been rich, and I know which I prefer’.

Well, it’s a ‘no brainer’ to use modern parlance, nobody wants to be poor but it’s a fact of life that so many people are. Apparently, I was poor, but I didn’t know it until someone on London-centric TV (back in the 50s) referred to the provincial poor latch-key kids: the children who on arriving home from school would let themselves into an empty house whilst their parents were at work. How dare they! I come from a very loving and warm-hearted family; that trumps any inference to the contrary. How dare they say I’m poor! And that’s the rub: the word poor only conveys a paucity of financial worth and excludes the richness of spirit.

In the carol Good King Wenceslas went with his servant to provide food and firewood to a peasant struggling against the harsh winter conditions. An act of charity beyond the normal expectations of a medieval aristocrat. An altruistic act that still resonates today. It is said, ‘it is better to give, than to receive’. Unless of course your circumstances dictate that you are indeed in need.

When I was ten years old, everyone in my neighbourhood was more-or- less of the same financial level. But you couldn’t really point a finger and say they were poor, because we all were. And the same applies today. Despite our much higher-level living conditions compared to the 1950s there are many in need of help, but they’re not always easy to identify. If that’s not the case, why are there so many food banks?

Although we don’t know whom we help when we donate food from our pantries each week, we do know that we are blessed to be able to do so.

Advent Reflections | Day 19 | Sunday 19th December

19th December

Written by Phil Wadsworth

Wake, awake, for night is flying

‘Wake, awake, for night is flying, The watchmen on the heights are crying.’

The alarm clock going off can bring mixed emotions.  Perhaps a day to anticipate; perhaps everything necessary has been prepared, or acknowledging it’s going to be a frantic scramble.  I should get up right now – but the ‘snooze’ button is a wonderful invention.

Many Christmas hymns and carols carry a sense of urgency – be wakeful, be watchful, late in time behold Him come.  They note it shouldn’t be a surprise – “come, Thou long-expected Jesus”.  Yet everyone – apart from the Three Magi – were taken by surprise, from the shepherds to Herod’s advisers combing Scripture for an explanation.  Jesus’ Ministry was one surprise after another to almost everyone even though, as Jesus pointed out, His life and works were long foretold by the Prophets.

Today Christmas as an occasion isn’t a surprise – it, rather than its meaning, are worshipped in temples of materialism earlier each year.  For some, though, the real meaning of Christmas does come as a surprise, if they consider it at all.  They hear the usual stuff about being nice to people, irritating adverts about ‘Crisis at Christmas’, the day with the extended family however much you dislike some of them, the uncomfortable accounts of old people for whom it’s just another day of loneliness and want; the satirists have a field-day, pointing out it’s only for one day and then normal life can resume.

For Christians the real message and meaning of Christmas isn’t a surprise – we prepare each Advent, consider it afresh each year.  However, in Advent we think of Jesus’ First and Second Coming; we’re told we can’t know when the latter will be, so it can comfortably be assigned to “things we don’t need to think about now” and the urgency is lost.

We need to recover that urgency.  We need to wake up.  Christ is coming now.  The difference from that first Christmas is it’s now us.  St Teresa of Avila wrote that Christ has no body now on earth but ours.  We’re those who, bringing the Light of Christ, ensure night is flying.  The multitudinous problems in the world are happening now.  We know Christ comes to the world at Christmas and all the days after it; our call to action is to do the same, in His name.

Advent Reflections | Day 18 | Sunday 18th December

18th December

Written by Ann Walker

Unto us a Boy is Born

“Unto us a boy is born! King of all creation; came he to a world forlorn, the lord of every nation”

Unto us a boy is born, King of all creation. It is a cold, sunny morning. I can look out of the bedroom window into my back garden and beyond towards Lyme Park. The top of the hills shine in the sunlight; the sky is blue with snatches of cloud. The leaves on the trees are starting to change colour and in the garden the fuchsia, the last of the roses and dahlias are still holding out against the cold. The leaves on the blueberry bushes and next doors acer are almost crimson in colour. A sight to behold! A creation to be behold; a creation that is beautiful; that brings me calm and joy.

Unto us a boy is born; came he to a world forlorn, the lord of every nation. A world forlorn, the human world. Why forlorn? Life could be hard then, especially for the sick or poor. People could feel isolated from each other and from God. Life could be difficult living under roman occupation. But this world is still part of that wonderful creation. The answer – a boy is born. Jesus Christ came to bring hope and teach love to that forlorn world

Unto us a Boy is born. We still remember Christ’s birth every Christmas. He is born to us. Life can still be hard for some. Poverty, war and violence are still with us in our world forlorn. We still need hope and love in the world.

The answer – Unto US a boy is born, King of All creation; COMES he to a world forlorn, the lord of every nation.

Advent Reflections | Day 17 | Sunday 17th December

17th December

Written by Jenny Gallimore

Away in a Manger

“Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay close by me for ever, and love me, I pray”

Away in a Manger is a Christmas carol that all school children know and love.  It is a staple of the school Nativity show.  Every year, children don their tea towels on their heads and sing (or shout!) along to the music, bringing tears to their loving parents’ eyes.  We hear this carol so often that it is easy to forget to really listen to the words that the children are singing.

The words, "Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay, close by me forever and love me I pray," offer a profound yet simple theological reflection on the relationship between Christ and humanity. These lines express a longing for intimacy with Jesus, a prayerful plea for His presence and love to remain constant. These lines of the carol also evoke a sense of childlike trust and dependence. Just as a child looks to a parent for security, guidance, and affection; we too look to Jesus for closeness, protection, and love.

The plea for Jesus to "stay" also speaks to the human need for constancy and assurance. Life is often marked by uncertainty and change, and in such moments, we need the steadfast presence of Jesus.  The prayer for Him to stay close by to us recognises that while human relationships may falter or circumstances may shift, the presence of Jesus is an unwavering source of peace and security. It’s a recognition that Christ’s nearness is not just for moments of joy, but also for times of difficulty, loss, and doubt.

There is nothing quite like watching your child take part in their school Nativity play.  As I watched both of my children take part in their respective nativities, I was overwhelmed with pride, emotion and, at times, laughter at the sheer comedic value of 5-year-olds on the stage with their chaotic and joyful performances.  There is something quite profound in children’s exuberance and joy at Christmas time. And while “Away in a Manger” will always remind me of my children’s Nativity plays, it also invites a deeper recognition of God’s incarnational love, the assurance of his constant companionship and the power of his grace-filled love.

Advent Reflections | Day 16 | Sunday 16th December

16th December

Written by Julie Hackney

Go, tell it on the mountain

‘Go, tell it on the mountain, Over the hills and ev’rywhere’

When my husband, Mark and I go on holiday with our Border Terrier, Fred, we like to be amongst the mountains and hills. The destinations we love are The Lake District and North Wales. Our favourite view in The Lakes is of the Cumbrian Fells as you travel towards Windermere and they suddenly loom before you. We have seen them in sunshine, and crowned with clouds. Sometimes you can’t see them at all but you know they’re there.

In Wales it’s the view of Snowdonia as you leave Anglesey via the Britannia Bridge. We have seen Snowdon against blue skies and topped with snow. Sometimes you can’t see it at all but you know it’s there.

Once we took the train to the summit of Snowdon. It was a beautiful day and we looked down with awe at the wonder of God’s creation.

Genesis tells us that it was on the third day that God created mountains and hills and there are numerous mentions of them in the Bible, more than five hundred, in fact.

Moses receives the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. On the Mount of Olives, Jesus prays before his crucifixion. Jesus’ transformation takes place on Mount Tabor. The Mount of the Beatitudes is where Jesus delivers his Sermon on the Mount.

My favourite Psalm is the King James Bible version of number 121, which begins: “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help?”.

The hills symbolise the stability and constancy of God. We don’t get to see God himself but, just like the hills on a misty day, as Christians, our faith tells us he is always there.

There may be no mountains right on our doorsteps but that can’t stop us sharing the good news of Jesus’ birth with our families, friends, the people we meet in our daily lives and through our Christmas cards and greetings.

So, however you can, at Christmas and always, “Go, tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born”.

Advent Reflections | Day 15 | Sunday 15th December

15th December

Written by Jill Illingworth

Mary did you know

 “When you kiss your little baby, You’ve kissed the face of God.”

This song is a relatively new addition to the Christmas catalogue of Christian songs as it was written by Mark Lowry in 1984 and the music was composed by Buddy Greene in 1991. I love it because, not only does it have a beautiful melody, it also homes in on what should be my focus during the Advent season – that the baby soon to come is Jesus, the Son of God.

I love Christmas – being with my family, enjoying my tree and festive lights, singing carols and generally having fun and who isn’t moved by the haunting solo in “Once in Royal David’s City”? but “Mary did you know” reminds me that Jesus should be the centre of my Christmas celebrations.  Why does this priority matter? An explanation can be found in a well known verse in the Bible: (John 3 v16) For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. This explains the importance of Jesus’ birth – through Him we will receive the gift of eternal life – we will be with God in heaven. An amazing gift indeed. I find this very comforting, particularly when day to day life is difficult.

Other parts of the song describe some of Jesus’ actions during His ministry such as healing the blind, the deaf and the lame and calming the storm, but it returns to its original theme several times; reminding me that Jesus is the Son of God.

If you haven’t heard this song, I recommend giving it a listen. You can check it out via the internet. Happy Christmas.

Advent Reflections | Day 14 | Sunday 14th December

14th December

Written by Louise Richardson

It came upon a midnight clear

‘Peace on earth, goodwill to all, from Heaven’s all gracious King.’

The Christmas Carol, ‘It came upon a midnight clear’ was written in 1849 but has remained a favourite with many due to its profound and timeless message – a message of hope, peace and divine grace. A message that is as relevant today as it was 175 years ago – perhaps even more so.

Whilst this carol and in particular this sentence reflects the message brought by the Angel to the shepherds tending their flocks on the hillside that starry night – that a new era, a new time of peace was to come about through the birth of the Messiah, a peace that would surpass that brought by the absence of conflict, I find myself asking what this means right now?

As I look around me at the world today with wars raging in the Middle East in Israel, in Ukraine, and in Yemen, for example, I find myself thinking about the individual,  innocent lives affected by these acts of destruction, the children, the mothers, fathers, grandmothers, grandfathers and wider families who have lost their lives or lost loved ones and are suffering from loss of homes, lack of food and mental and physical injuries caused by their traumatic experiences. And closer to home, the daily impact on individuals and groups affected by hatred and violence, much of gone unnoticed.  I ask myself - what would the world be like if there truly was peace on earth and goodwill to all  - rather than war and conflict born out of hatred, greed and difference. I look to a world where there is no war, where all children can grow up experiencing joy not pain, where there is no hunger.

So my prayer (and hope) for Christmas is a simple one – that the divine grace of Heaven’s all gracious King shines down upon the whole world bringing an end to all conflict, hatred and greed, for a world where there is peace and goodwill between all nations, races, religions and peoples and where difference is celebrated not a cause for scorn. Peace be with you.

Advent Reflections | Day 13 | Sunday 13th December

13th December

Brian Gordon

Carol of the Bells

“One seems to hear, words of good cheer, from everywhere, filling the air”

I heard this carol sung in the Ukrainian language in 2023. It was sung as a solo by a 7 year old Ukrainian girl who had moved to Bramhall. Angelically sung to a room full of pensioners in a care home, the room was still to her singing words. Originally written as a Ukrainian song, the words tell of a swallow flying into a house to proclaim the plentiful year that the family will have. It is a song of hope for the future, as we remember Christ coming as a baby, bringing hope to the world.

Carol of the Bells is actually based on an old folk melody written early in the 20th Century, with lyrics that had nothing to do with bells or Christmas cheer.  While this carol was not written with a gospel intention, as we hear it and sing it, we can reflect on how we, like the bells in the carol, can carry our ‘joyful tone’ that is the good news of Jesus to those we meet.

The Christmas season is a season of good news and a reminder of the hope to the world, brought through the birth of Jesus Christ. Although not rich in lyrics pulled from Scripture, “Carol of the Bells” reminds us about the important need for hope during the Christmas season.

At this time of the year, perhaps we do hear words of good cheer from others, wishing us a good time. How full are those words of secular thoughts and feelings - lacking in the good news of the love and hope of Christ whose birth we celebrate.

“We have a hope which is steadfast and certain!”  (Wendy Churchill)

Advent Reflections | Day 12 | Sunday 12th December

12th December

Bryan Goodwin

God rest you Merry Gentlemen

‘Now to the Lord Sing praises, all you within this place, and with true love and fellowship each other now embrace’

... or God rest ye merry Gentlemen, as we originally sang, brings back fond memories of my youth, and being a choirboy in the Choir at St Stephens, Chorlton on Medlock, where I was involved in so many activities from 1949 onwards.

First at Sunday School, then as I grew older joining the Church Choir, Cubs and Scouts, then as a Sunday School Teacher

God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen was a popular Carol, after the Wars and we were often asked to sing at the Male Wards of Manchester Royal Infirmary where the Choir sang during Advent after our Sunday Evensong Service

It brings back memories of going to the Christmas Pantomime, at the Hippodrome, in Ardwick, where I was born, and the Pickwickian Characters in some of the Pantomime singing it.

It was a favourite of a small rather shabby old Gentleman, a Regular at our Church, called “Mr Shaw” (we never knew his Christian name) who lived alone, who had threadbare coats, which he wore in Winter, and who liked to come with us to sing at the Hospital, even though he was not a member of the Choir. He enjoyed meeting the patients and nurses, with whom he seemed to have had a special rapport.

He came to all the Church Services, as well as Church Socials and the Church Badminton Club, where I played. His playing ability was poor, and he played in the clothes he was wearing, putting on a pair of faded white Gym Shoes, … I think he came for the Social Company, as well as the warmth in Winter and the Cups of tea and biscuits, of which he only ever politely took two.

He mainly sat and spoke softly with the adult members of the Club, who often invited him to share Sunday Dinner with them.

I never knew if he had any family, nor what his life story was, but he was quiet, and humble, and very polite.

Advent Reflections | Day 11 | Sunday 11th December

11th December

Written by Jo Oughton

Angels From the Realms of Glory

‘Though an infant now we view him, He shall fill His Father’s throne.’

One of my favourite films as a child was the Walt Disney version of Sleeping Beauty. Three good fairies stand around Aurora’s cradle at her birth and wish for beauty and a lovely singing voice, as I remember. Then Maleficent arrives. She predicts death for Aurora at 16. The third fairy tries to prevent Maleficent’s future from coming true but can only change the death to a sleep that only true love’s kiss can break.

As we stand around Christ’s cradle we also know his future, which is even more incredible than Sleeping Beauty’s. This child we see is fully human, seemingly weak and helpless, and yet he is also fully divine. His future has been foretold throughout the Old Testament and to Mary when she is asked to take on the position of Mother of God. We sing of his birth thousands of years later because this birth will save the world. God’s plan is to come to earth in human form, live a life with all its human messiness, and then to die at the hands of those same humans. This death also is changed by love, not true loves kiss, but self-sacrificing love that takes our sins upon itself and is redeemed by the ever loving Father. The power of sin is defeated and that human man is risen.

Christ is that infant in the cradle and yet is also throned alongside his Father. The battle against sin is won, and death is defeated, just as Maleficent is beaten in the film and Aurora grows to take her place as royalty alongside her parents. This Christmas, when you see the Christ child, remember the sacrifice he made so we may have life in all its fullness. When you see the infant in the cradle this Christmas remember that he is the same person who rules with God on high.

Advent Reflections | Day 10 | Sunday 10th December

10th December

Written by Calum Piper

Good Christians All Rejoice

‘He hath opened heaven’s door, and we are blessed for ever more.

One of the most important parts of the Christian faith is that God is not distant, but God has come near to his people, those whom he loves.

The story of Pentecost, jumping a little bit further ahead, is that God comes and lives in each one. As we read the story of the Old Testament for thousands of years, God had chased after the people he loved. He made a promise with the Israelites that they would be his people. They would be his chosen people, and he would chase after them. He would love them. He would pour out his blessings upon them.

But being humans, they got things wrong meaning they became divided and separated from God.

But that did not put God off.

God loved them so much he chased after them time and time and time again. The story of Christmas is almost a story of God putting his foot down and saying, “do you know what? I'm coming as close to you as I can possibly get so that you can't push me away anymore”.

The story of Christmas is God becoming a human, and I mean, just how remarkable is that? God, the source of all creation. The person who created the world. The person who lives in heaven, enthroned with all beauty and splendour and majesty, chooses to become a human. You'd expect him to be born in a palace and with all sorts of riches and yet he becomes a humble carpenter's son, born to a family of the house of David.

Its in that simple moment, as God becomes human, as divinity takes on mortal flesh, the whole of heaven rejoices. And as our carol today says, ‘the door of heaven is opened’. We see the door of heaven being opened slightly for the people whom God loves at Christmas. The story of Easter, that we'll celebrate in a few months’ time, is of that door being opened wide, and all those who choose to love the Christ child welcomed in. As we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate the start of a story that will change the world. We celebrate the start of a story that changes the world. Today, we celebrate a story that invites you to know the glory and majesty of heaven, not just when life is over, but right now, in this moment.

Advent Reflections | Day 9 | Sunday 9th December

9th December

Written by Sue Daber

While Shepherds Watched

‘All glory be to God on High, and on the earth be peace.’

I love walking in the countryside, ‘being in nature’. Perhaps it is the antidote to working in the NHS in a hot environment with artificial light for so many years, an escape!

Thinking about shepherds in Biblical times they were considered to be of low social standing. However, shepherds were the first to hear of the Messiahs birth 'an Angel of the Lord appeared and glory shone around'. The carol was thought to be written in the late 17th Century by Irish hymn writer & poet laureate Nathan Tate and set to Winchester Old and other tunes.

Around this time also Handel was composing his oratorio the Messiah, 'All we like sheep'. How different is shepherding now, ‘One man and his dog’, or quad bikes used to gather the flock.

Back to the countryside, how many different varieties of sheep do you recognise? Jacob's sheep multi horned, Shetland from the Isle or Herdwicks from the Lake District. 

Enjoying the countryside - the views, the air we breathe especially in the mountains. We don’t often see really dark skies, because of light pollution. However, in a really dark space we can see stars, planets, meteors, the full moon and even the Aurora Borealis. In the night sky for the shepherds how frightening was the bright light of the host of angels announcing the arrival of the Messiah?

The atmosphere and elements of the sun and its warmth, the wind a gentle breeze or a stronger gale, the rain fine drizzle or mizzle or heavier rain, we feel it all. Do we appreciate the shapes in the clouds, views from the hills and mountains, and hear the waterfalls, the rushing streams or babbling brooks and do we notice the changing seasons throughout the year?

Walking is good, an escape from the rush and bustle of life, alone, or being with people, discussing, talking or just listening. There can be a great sense of achievement and wellbeing. 

God’s creation, & I wonder at it all. The Lord is my shepherd and we are his sheep he cares for each and every one of us.

Advent Reflections | Day 8 | Sunday 8th December

8th December

Written by Mark Hackney

In the Bleak Midwinter

‘But only His mother in her maiden bliss worshipped the beloved with a kiss.’

I love this carol.

Whilst I can’t empathise fully with a mother’s kiss to her baby, I can appreciate the beautiful intimacy of that humble scene where “A stable-place sufficed.”

Of course, whilst we don’t worship Mary, we do elevate her as the mother, and loving carer, of our Lord. And, I’m mindful of Mary’s life of devotion and service - with her ever-watchful eye of a mother. In Holy Scriptures, Mary’s life, like a golden thread, spins around that of Jesus:

An Archangel speaks words of wonder to a poor, teenage Jewish woman. This woman, a virgin but with child, visits her aged cousin, Elizabeth, also with child, and, fizzing and whirling, with the Holy Spirit, they sing songs of joy. Mary carries the Messiah, Elizabeth his herald.

The baby is born in a rude stable, “angels Fall down before”; the cosmos shines a light ... and the interest of the wise is piqued.

There’s Mary and Joseph’s visit to Jerusalem, the child held aloft in the Temple forecourts, and the miracle at Cana where Mary advises the servants about Jesus.

Mary must have followed Jesus’ ministry with wonder and the pride only a parent can know.  Yes, her heart will be broken: John’s Gospel has her at the crucifixion. We well might imagine her looking-up, under a purple sky at that middle cross, her hair, now flaked with grey, blowing in the gale.

Yet, we also wonder, for the Gospels do not tell, at Mary’s heart joyfully leaping to witness Jesus’ resurrection life. Certainly, Acts 1:14 has Mary at the heart of the infant Church, mothering and nurturing the Church as she did the infant Jesus himself.

Mary inspires us in our following of Jesus, and we can inhale deeply the closing lines of our carol in the utter determination that “what I can, I give Him. Give him my heart.”

Advent Reflections | Day 7 | Saturday 7th December

7th December

Written by Peter Driver

Once in Royal David’s City

‘For that child so dear and gentle is our Lord in Heav’n above.’

Whenever I sing this beautiful carol, I have the same recollection.

I’m a little child at home singing ‘Once in Royal David’s city” to my mummy and daddy.

And as I sing, my mother begins to cry and I can’t understand why.

It took me a long time to realise that that picture and this carol are the same story.

Into the city of kings comes the most powerful King of all. Everything belongs to Him. The royal palace, the throne of David, all the pomp, power and majesty the world possesses are His. And what does this owner do? When the God and Lord of all comes down from heaven does he install himself in His rightful place on the throne of David?  No. Not because he couldn’t but because he wouldn’t. The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over their subjects, but not him. This king enters his kingdom as a refugee. Into a stable, with a manger for a bed, amongst the poor and mean and lowly. Little, weak and helpless, tears and smiles like us he knew.

Why? As I got older and with children of my own, I understood.

It’s a story of love. 

Our Father sends what is most precious to Him, at a cost which is unfathomable, to ransom us, his children. Because he loves us and He will pay. He loves us with a father’s love, where no price is too high. Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven. That’s us. The journey of redemption starts in a stable, untainted by shallow worldly trappings. It starts with love and it ends with love and no power on earth was able to overcome it. Do we get that message I wonder?

And so now when I sing this carol, I think about God’s love for us, his children; for the guidance he gives us by the choices he made; but most of all, I think of a child singing and a mother crying and I know this too is a story of love. And now, the tears are mine.

Advent Reflections | Day 6 | Friday 6th December

6th December

Joy to the World

‘Joy to the Earth! The Saviour Reigns; Let Us Our Songs Employ’

Written by Verity Beards-Jones

Advent is a time of waiting and preparation, symbolising our faith in the hope that Jesus will return again. This line from Joy to the World will structure my prayers this Advent as I meditate on the knowledge that, as Christians, we can have joy and hope in God regardless of our circumstances.

Joy to the Earth!

Recognise the divine hope and joy that Jesus’ resurrection affords, and give thanks.

Biblical joy is an attitude that God’s people adopt, not because of their happiness or circumstances, but because of their hope in God’s love and promise. No matter what we are going through, we can ‘Rejoice in the Lord always’ (Philippians 4:4) because we are committed to seeing God’s plan fulfilled.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your faithfulness. Keep me hopeful and joyful this Advent season as I anticipate Jesus’ return.

The Saviour Reigns

Acknowledge what biblical hope means for your everyday life.

When we hope in God in every situation, our strength is renewed: his power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). ‘Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary they will walk and not be faint’ (Isaiah 40:31).

Lord God, thank you for accepting me in my weakness and making your power perfect in me. I am so glad that you are my saviour.

Let Us Our Songs Employ

Sing, dance, and spread the Good News!

When we are living in Christian hope and joy, we want to share this with others. Walking with Jesus affects your every decision, until it becomes impossible to know you without knowing Jesus (see Jeremiah 34:33-4).

Give us your peace Lord, so that we can communicate it to one another in mutual love, and serve the human family in Jesus’ name, this Avent and always. Amen.

Advent Reflections | Day 5 | Thursday 5th December

5th December

Christians Awake, Salute the Happy Morn

‘Rise to adore the mystery of love, which hosts of angels chanted from above.’

 Written by Calum Piper

The whole story of Christmas is about a baby being born. I know that God rejoices in the fact that Jesus was born, but I think God probably rejoices every time a child is born. From the birthing suite of Stepping Hill, to every ward and home and place where a child is born, I believe God rejoices at the birth of a child.

He rejoices because he's a life giver. He delights in life and that new life being born. But there's something really specific about the birth of Jesus which is why we celebrate.

The line from the carol that we're thinking of is ‘arise to adore the mystery of love, with which hosts of angels chanted from above’.

I know that when my Son Samuel was born in Wythenshawe and when my daughter Phoebe was born in Stepping Hill, it was a really delightful and joyful occasion for us. But I didn't catch any angels glorifying God in the skies and whispering to us humans, don't be afraid.

The fact that we see angels appear in the story of Christmas, the fact that they are singing praises unto God, tells us that there is something remarkable going , and that this isn't just any ordinary birth, but there is something to do with heaven involved.

It isn't just God rejoicing at the gift of new life, but all of heaven joining in with the celebration of Jesus being born, which can only mean that the birth of this child is important, that it means something, that Jesus’ birth is going to change the world.

That's where the hymn writer offers us an invitation to join in with the host of heaven, proclaiming the glory of God, because this birth, this child is going to change the world. As we go into Christmas, I don't know where you're up to in your preparation, I invite you join in with the song of the angels as we proclaim the mystery of God's love here on earth.