I admit it: I am solar powered. I like the light. I thrive in it.
The darkness and I are not the best of friends. I feel sluggish, I have less energy, it’s blah.
Perhaps this is why I love the season of Advent so much. The physical realities of this time of year include a lot of darkness. Yet this is a spiritual time of getting ready for the light. A light so great that it will change the world.
So as winter’s darkness is cushioning me on the outside, I am intentionally watching internally as the spiritual light grows and grows, until the time when we will be cushioned by such light that we won’t even remember this darkness.
I pray we all focus on the light of the world as our winter and holidays progress, that we are aware that we are catching glimpses of the Kingdom as we continue to search for the light in our lives.
May we celebrate that we are like the people of Matthew 4.16, “the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light.”
THE FEAST - ADVENT RESOURCE
During Advent we are preparing ourselves for the coming of Christmas. We prepare ourselves physically and spiritually to welcome the Christ child into our lives. Many of us are also preparing ourselves to carry out secular responsibilities for the holidays—cleaning, shopping, entertaining, cooking.
This Advent The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) invites you to take a few moments each day to reflect on what is feeding you through this busy time. We encourage you to slow down and enter into prayerful consideration of the meaning of the season. We invite you to join us in these Advent Reflections, which encourage thought on issues of food security.
Each Sunday we will connect the weekly Gospel theme with a PWRDF good news story. Monday through Saturday we offer reflections on those themes within the contexts of a feast and of local realities. We will then enter into prayer and encourage your own spiritual challenge.
Free copies of “The Feast” are available at the back of the church. A similar resource, “The Fast,” will be available for Lent.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
09 Dec: BIRTLE Pot Luck supper (5.30pm) and Lessons and Carols (7.00pm). (No service at 2.00)
09 Dec: Bring your gifts for Christmas Cheer/White Gift Sunday!
14 Dec: Messy Church—a Very Messy Christmas. Family-focused casual church gathering; co-hosted Anglican and Lutheran churches. Join us at the Anglican Church Hall, Russell. Doors open 5.00pm, programme begins 5.30. Suppoer provided, free will offering. All welcome!
16 Dec: BIRTLE Children’s Play at 2.00pm service
16 Dec: RUSSELL Lessons and Carols service, 7.30pm. (No service at 9.30)
24 Dec: Christmas Services: 4.00pm ROBLIN
7.00pm BIRTLE (with baptism)
9.00pm BINSCARTH
11.00pm RUSSELL
30 Dec: All-Points Service! 11.00am BIRTLE with Pot Luck to follow
31 Dec: New Year’s Eve Open House at the Rectory! You’re invited to stop by to share some New Year’s Cheer, 2.00-4.00pm
17 Jan: Wider Parish Council meeting, RUSSELL Hall, 7.30pm
19 Jan: BIRTLE Hosts the Strathclair Theatre Chorus
29 Jan: Last day for submissions to Lent edition of PLAINSspeak
01-03 Feb (plus travel days): Laura Marie will be away as chaplain at the PWRDF 50 Leaders’ weekend, a youth leadership development programme.
13 Feb: Ash Wednesday—Lent begins
16-18 Feb: ELCIC Youth Gathering in Russell; Anglicans welcome
02 Dec: Jer 33:14–16 Ps 25:1–9 1 Th 3:9–13 Lk 21:25–36
09 Dec: Bar 5:1–9 Canticle 19 Phil 1:3–11 Lk 3:1–6
16 Dec: Lessons and Carols (provided by Laura Marie)
23 Dec: Mic 5:2–5a Canticle 18 Heb 10:5–10 Lk 1:39–45
24 Dec: Is 9:2–7 Ps 96 Tit 2:11–14 Lk 2:1–20
30 Dec: 1Sam 2.18-20, 26 Ps 148 Col 3.12-17 Lk 2.41-52
06 Jan: Isa 60.1-6 Ps 72.1-7, 10-14 Eph 3.1-12 Mt 2.1-12
13 Jan: Isa 43.1-7 Ps 29 Acts 8.14-17 Lk 3.15-17, 21-22
20 Jan: Isa 62.1-5 Ps 36.5-10 1 Cor 12.1-11 Jn 2.1-11
27 Jan: Neh 8.1-3, 5-6, 8-10 Ps 19 1 Cor 12.12-31a Lk 4.14-21
03 Feb: Mal3.1-4 Ps 84 Heb 2.14-18 Lk 2.22-40
10 Feb: Ex 34.29-35 Ps 99 2Cor 3.12-4.2 Lk 9.28-36
