Today is the first of December, which means the first day of Advent! Waking up this morning there was frost everywhere, on my way to an appointment it snowed every so slightly and it definitely feels like the festive season is here!

Logging into socials (usually the first thing I do each day, so bad I know!) and my feeds were filled with Elf On The Shelf, extravagant ways to mark the first day of the month with chocolate and toddler boxes, homes decorated to the nth degree…. It’s very easy to get lost in the aesthetics and what influencers now paint as the picture perfect way to ‘do’ Christmas, especially with kids.

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s such a magical time and having a toddler of my own and another on the way, having family traditions around holidays have become important as my childhood memories of the times, though minimal have truly stuck. But if we only focus on that side of things, we run the risk of forgetting what this time is really about…

Why Advent?

Yes for the chocolate, or what I now prefer when I have a bit of extra cash, beauty Advent calendars. But as a Christian it’s so much more than all the stuff and choccies. It’s the time we take to think about the impact of having Jesus in our lives, prep time to celebrate His birth and for many, points to preparing for His second coming.

It’s a time to reflect on the key four messages Jesus brings:

• Hope
• Peace
• Joy
• Love

So How Are We Marking It?

Every day through December we’ll have an Advent video posted on our socials pointing you to our Advent devotional: Advent: The Journey To Christmas. They’re a bit of fun, but hopefully will help you all make time in your day to focus your eyes on the Lord and the sacrifice He made for us; giving His only begotten son for us and our sins.

Imagine that magnitude of love that surrounds us! Never forget it and always seek comfort from it!

Since September we have been looking at Creation to Christ, across Youth Hub and Hubs Together. This devotional continues on the same theme:

Christmas is truly the greatest story ever told: one of God’s perfect faithfulness, power, salvation, and unfailing love. Let’s take a journey over the next 25 days to discover God’s intricate plan to save the world from sin and the promises fulfilled in the birth of His Son.

Today’s devotional sets the scene for the story from Genesis and reiterates a theme that keeps coming up and strikes me each time I’ve read a verse in this term’s series: God’s timing is best. People waited for hundreds of years for the Saviour and I’m sure many gave up hope. But we need to remember God doesn’t work on our timeline or on what we expect. His time is the best, we need to trust Him in that. Easier said than done, I know. But when has He ever truly let us down? Perhaps He has done things in a different way than we expected but it is always what is best for us and the purpose He has given us.

So keep an eye on our Instagram/Facebook for your daily reminders. Today’s has already gone out!

Advent Prayer

Lord Jesus,
Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.
We who have so much to do and seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day,
We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us.
We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.
We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence.
We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.
To you we say, “Come Lord Jesus!’
Amen.

Henri J.M. Nouwen

Our Festivities

And for all things Christmas check out our page that shows everything we have going on this month! Let dates for you to remember:

• 10th Dec: Community Carols – Singing Through The Christmas Story. 4-6pm at the Rivergate Centre
• 24th Dec: joint Christmas Eve service with House Of Bread and Salem Church. 10.30am-12pm at the Rivergate Centre

We look forward to seeing you over the Christmas season, as we usually have friends and family visiting, feel free to bring them along – the more the merrier!

Also for anyone who find this time of year particularly difficult, feel free to Get In Touch any time with any prayer requests.

And if we don’t see you, have a wonderful Christmas and new years, roll on 2024!!