Friday 16th December

Isaiah 56:1-3,6-8; Psalm 67:2-3,5,7-8; John 5:33-36

Welcome

There are striking images in the reading from Isaiah today to help us prepare for Christmas. Do we have children or friends or parishioners who feel distant: “the Lord will surely exclude me from his people”? Or unappreciated: “I am a dried up tree”? Our homes and parishes are called to be like a “holy mountain”, a high place that gives access to a connection and relationship with God, a “house of prayer for all peoples”. How could I intentionally welcome - perhaps even family outcasts - with the warmth of God’s Christmas love?