Thought for the Day - Thursday 26 November

Thought for the Day – Thursday 26th November ‘He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.’ (John 1: 10-11) Well, yesterday it happened – I received my first Christmas card! For many years my first Christmas card would always arrive on December 1st and it always came from my Aunt Bessie, one of my dad’s sisters, who still lives in Lancashire in Blackburn. However, as she has grown older and sadly succumbed to dementia, for these last few years I have not received my usual card on December 1st and it is unbelievable just how much I miss getting that card! Nonetheless, the card yesterday came from someone who became a great friend during my teenage years and was full of all her family news which brought me great joy. How are you doing on your Christmas card writing this year? All done because we are being encouraged to bring Christmas cheer to folk a little earlier this year due to Covid-19 or are you waiting until December to begin? Isn’t it amazing though that every year even if you have written all your cards and posted them off, it always seems to be that as soon as you have done so – a card pops through your letterbox from someone you had forgotten to add to your list and then you feel embarrassed because you forgot them!! Maybe, that person whom you forgot about is not the only person who will be forgotten during this season for I think, believe it or not that we can also at times forget about Jesus! We get so caught up in all the busyness of the festivities, the card writing, usually, though not this year perhaps, the carol services and the celebrations and the gift buying and the present wrapping and so on that we forget about Jesus. We forget to open our hearts to him, we become like all those Innkeepers in Bethlehem and close the door on him, preferring to stay instead wrapped up in our own little worlds. We forget that he is actually the greatest gift ever given to us as humans by our amazingly surprising God. Advent gives us that time to focus once more on this greatest gift, to make sure we do not forget about Jesus and as a result end up asking ourselves why it doesn’t feel like Christmas. Advent, our time of waiting in anticipation for the Christ-child should indeed be the time for putting Christ into Christmas. Prayer Loving God, in this season of expectation may we prepare to welcome the Christ-child. Into the bustle of our lives and the hard to find moments of solitude may we prepare to welcome the Christ-child. Into our homes and all situations may we prepare to welcome the Christ-child. Into our hearts, and those often hidden parts of our lives may we prepare to welcome the Christ-child. In this season of anticipation may we make time, reflect and prepare to welcome the Christ-child. In Jesus, name we pray. Amen.