Be Prepared

One of the themes for Advent is preparation. As we approach the Christmas story of the coming of God into our midst, we are invited to search our lives in the light of the return of Christ. This can be the furthest thing on our minds with all the busyness of getting ready for the Christmas celebrations.

Here are a few thoughts to help us combine the spiritual and social preparations.

1) Consider putting a scripture verse in the cards you send

2) Make a Christmas scene in the window when you put up the decorations.

3) Invite some ‘not-yet-friends’ over for Christmas drinks.

4) Find a way to give a gift to someone anonymously.

5) Visit someone you know who is lonely

6) Volunteer to do a reading or help in another way at a church service.

7) Phone a relative you would not normally be in touch with.

8) Mention a blessing of 2009 in your newsletter

The Lord is Near

A mystery in our human experience is the distance our Creator ‘feels’ from us. Perhaps the biggest case for atheism is the way in which a lot of people claim to have no awareness of God. If God has made the world, us and sustains all things, why does he seem so absent?

On one level we need to understand the corruption and fall of creation from God. Adam and Eve are reported to have hid from God and were afraid of him. Perhaps on a more profound level, God has given us a genuine space to turn to him and even feel his absence. The gift of free-will is such that no relationship with God is forced or coerced.

However, the truth is that God is never absent or distant. In Jesus, God has come near to any who call upon him. The distance is in us and not in him. If we claim to have a relationship with God then this should be a settled issue for us. The Lord is near so we can pray, worship and live well in that light. We have no more need to hide or be afraid. God loves you.