Advent Reflections

Advent Reflections | Day 2 | Monday 4th December

In the Bleak mid-winter:

“Yet what can I give him: give my heart”

Written by Jenny Gallimore

“In the Bleak Mid-Winter” poses a challenging question: “What can I give him?”. This could also be asking us, “How do we respond to Jesus?”.  The carol also provides us with the answer: “Give him my heart”.

Anyone who knows me at all will know that I am a perfectionist by nature, and so at times can be the (Unofficial) Queen of Anxiety.  I worry about anything and everything (and usually about whether I am doing a good enough job of things).  I used to worry that I wasn’t “good enough” to be a Christian.  The bible seemed to me at the time to have impossibly high standards which I felt I could never live up to.  In short, being a Christian seemed to be a tall order.  It wasn’t until the Christingle service in 2019 when it suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks: I don’t have to be perfect. God loves me for who I am, so much so that he sent Jesus to die for me and take the punishment for my sins upon himself.  How on earth could I have missed the point of Jesus for so long?  I thought I had to achieve some level of perfection, but in reality, I just had to have faith in Jesus and give him my heart.

But what does it mean to give our hearts to Jesus?  It could mean a number of things: Accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour, turning away from sin, accepting his way of living, loving and leading our lives.  There is nothing that we can do to “earn” our salvation – it is a gift freely given to us; a gift of grace from God because he loves us so much.  There is nothing on this Earth that I could possibly give that would repay God for such a gift, and so I choose to give my heart, which is all that God wants from me.

Advent Reflections | Day 1 | Sunday 3rd December

Go Tell it on the Mountain:

“When I was a seeker, I sought both night and day. I asked The Lord to help me and he showed me the way”

Written by Calum Piper

This carol talks about the story of the shepherds in the great Nativity story. The shepherds have seen the angels, the Angels have told them to go down to the stable in Bethlehem to meet the baby Jesus. In that meeting, they discover such great news.

The experience is life changing which leads them to go and out and tell everyone that they meet, that this baby will make a difference to the world.

That baby grew up and became the man that we call Jesus. That man died upon the cross at Easter. Through all of that, that baby, that man, that person we call Jesus, changed the world and continues to offer to the world his hope, life, love, joy, even wisdom.

Jesus through his birth, life, death and resurrection reaches out to each and every person, even today. To offer comfort and hope, to offer wisdom and encouragement. And he offers that to you as well.

In revelation Chapter 3, the book at the end of the Bible, Jesus says this: “Here I am. I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person and they with me”.

As we begin this journey of Advent, looking at Carols and making our way towards the great Christmas celebration, wherever you are in life, however, you might be feeling about the impending celebration of Christmas, Jesus longs to journey with you. Jesus longs to offer you hope, love and even joy.

The baby Jesus changed the life of the shepherds. He changed it so much they longed to tell everyone about it.

As we journey with them, as we journey through so many different carols, my prayer for you is that you get an opportunity to reach out to Jesus just as the shepherds did. And that in reaching out, you might find answers, but most importantly you might find hope and joy and love.