Polmont Old
Parish Church - Scotland
Parish Church - Scotland
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 Day five activities  If you have an Advent Wreath - here is a short reading and ceremony before lighting your candle today.John Ch1 v1 to 5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. Amen. Yesterday we thought about how a light cannot be hidden and how we shouldn't hide our light but share it with others, in today's short passage we discover that Jesus was with God the Father from the beginning and He is the promised one who brings light and Life into a dark and needy world. Jesus is our example, he is that light and the new life we should aspire to. Through his direction we should be willing and capable of sharing His Life bringing Life and light. Prayer: Dear God our Father we thank You for Your Word which gives us insights into Your plan for humankind, for your provision from the beginning and for the promise of YOur Son Jesus. In this Advent time, as we light our candle, we are reminded of Jesus and the change He brought into our World, help us to continue the work that he left us to do, to bring love, happiness and care to others less fortunate that our selves. Amen.
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While you are reading about the Painting why not listen to the Carol of the Bells by David Foster" Please be patient as the file loads - thanks.The painting is by William Holman Hunt and is called "The Light of the World". This painting, which hangs in the Side-Chapel of Keeble College, is the original by Holman Hunt painted in 1853 and first hung in the Royal Academy in 1854. The artist began the picture when he was a little over 21 years old, but it was not until he was 29 that he finished it. One of the reasons for this length of time was his desire to perfect the dawn, and this he did not succeed in doing until he took the picture with him to the Middle East and found the perfect dawn outside Bethlehem. When he was nearly 70 years old, he painted a replica which hangs in St Paul's Cathedral, London. The replica is very much larger than the original, but the colouring and details are not so perfect. The picture was given to the College by Mrs Thomas Combe, who was a great admirer of the Pre-Raphaelites and bought as many of their pictures as she could. She later gave most of them to the Ashmolean Museum, and this one she presented to Keble through her husband who was head of the University Press at that time.  There are two lights shown in the picture. The lantern is the light of conscience and the light around the head is the light of salvation with the door representing the human soul, which cannot be opened from the outside. There is no handle on the door, and the rusty nails and hinges overgrown with ivy denote that the door has never been opened and that the figure of Christ is asking for permission to enter. The bright light over the figure is the morning star, the dawn of the new day, and the autumn weeds and fallen fruit represent the autumn of life. The writing under the picture, which is rather hard to read, is taken from Revelation 3 'Behold I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me.' W assail: comes from the Old Norse "ves heill" -- to be of good health. This evolved into the tradition of visiting neighbors on Christmas Eve and drinking to their health. P resents for dogs: According to a 1995 survey, 7 out of 10 British dogs get Christmas gifts from their doting owners. M ince Pie: In Britain, eating mince pies at Christmas dates back to the 16th century. It is still believed that to eat a mince pie on each of the Twelve Days of Christmas will bring 12 happy months in the year to follow.  S anta: In the Thomas Nast cartoon that first depicted Santa Claus with a sleigh and reindeer, he was delivering Christmas gifts to soldiers fighting in the U.S. Civil War. The cartoon, entitled "Santa Claus in Camp," appeared in Harper's Weekly on January 3, 1863.C hristmas Wreath: The modern Christmas custom of displaying a wreath on the front door of one's house, is borrowed from ancient Rome's New Year's celebrations. Romans wished each other "good health" by exchanging branches of evergreens. They called these gifts strenae after Strenia, the goddess of health. It became the custom to bend these branches into a ring and display them on doorways. C hristmas trees: Cultured Christmas trees must be shaped as they grow to produce fuller foliage. To slow the upward growth and to encourage branching, they are hand-clipped in each spring. Trees grown in the wild have sparser branches, and are known in the industry as "Charlie Brown" trees.
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