Tag Archive for ‘Christmas’
Recognising the Child Jesus in the faces of little children
In Bethlehem, Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary. He was born, not by the will of man, but by the gift of the love of God our Father, who so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). We […]
A Christmas Story … Emmanuel — God-With-Us
In 1994 in Moscow two missionaries told the story of Christmas to a group of children in an orphanage. They had been abused and abandoned, and they had never before heard the story that we have just heard again in our readings. The children were entranced, some of them sitting on the edges of their […]
No Room at the Inn
The children were talking in class about the birth of Jesus. What did the angels look like? How many animals were in the stable? The only negative character in the story was the landlord of the inn. “He was mean!” a boy said. Really? I wondered why the world’s most beautiful story had to have […]
Christmas: a Time of Joy and of Loss
There is a season for everything, a time for every occupation under heaven. A time for embracing and a time to refrain from embracing. A time for losing and for keeping, a time for letting go. There is a season for everything. Ecclesiastes 3 It is November, and the stores are already in full swing for […]
Can You Bear It?
Joanne was going to the MM Christmas dinner and needed a new dress. In the clothing store she asked the assistant, ‘May I try on that dress in the window, please?’ ‘Certainly not, madam,’ responded the salesgirl, ‘You’ll have to use the fitting room like everyone else.’ The teacher asked young Malcolm: ‘What do you […]
December
Price Rise The MM is most grateful to subscribers who pay their accounts on time, and to all those who make donations to help the magazine keep going. Unfortunately, the magazine has made significant losses over the past few years, and consequently, as from 1 February 2019, the annual subscription for the MM will increase. […]
Tuesday 26 December
St Stephen Acts 6:8-10, 7:54-59; Psalm 31; Matthew 10:17-22 Standing firm Stephen was the first witness to Christ to give his blood for him. His feast today reminds us that the coming of the Saviour meant that those who ‘are on the side of the truth’ will suffer persecution. Even in this time of Christmas […]
Wednesday 20 December
Isaiah 7:10-14; Psalm 24; Luke1:26-38 Saying ‘yes’ In today’s Gospel we are taken back to the meeting that led to the Christmas event. Mary meets the angel who announces to her that she is to bear the Saviour. For Mary, it must have been a confusing yet faith-filled experience. She questioned the angel as to […]
Tuesday 19 December
Judges 13:2-7, 24-25; Psalm 71; Luke 1:5-25. Our preparation For Zechariah and Elizabeth to have a son in their old age was a miracle from God. This, and the other signs that accompanied the birth of John the Baptist, showed that he was the one who was to prepare the way for the Saviour. Do […]
Friday 15 December
Isaiah 48:17-19; Psalm 1; Matthew 11:16-19 Slow to believe As human beings, we can be a distracted and disgruntled lot at times. Christ experienced this in his own time and so do we. No matter what the Lord does for us, we can be slow to fully believe the message of the good news he […]
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