Polmont Old
Parish Church - Scotland
Parish Church - Scotland
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 Day six activities  If you have an Advent Wreath - here is a short reading and ceremony before lighting your candle today.2 Peter Ch1 v19 And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Amen. We are reminded in our verse that Jesus is the embodiment of the promises of God the Father and the Old Testament Prophets. Yesterday we thought about how a light cannot be hidden and how we shouldn't hide our light but share it with other, 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 ourselves. Amen. The Morning Star:  The picture above is of Venus which is often called the Morning Star or Evening Star. Venus, the jewel of the sky, was once know by ancient astronomers as the morning star and evening star. Venus, which is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty, is veiled by thick swirling cloud cover.Astronomers refer to Venus as Earth's sister planet. Both are similar in size, mass, density and volume. Venus is very different from the Earth. It has no oceans and is surrounded by a heavy atmosphere composed mainly of carbon dioxide with virtually no water vapour. Its clouds are composed of sulfuric acid droplets. At the surface, the atmospheric pressure is 92 times that of the Earth's at sea-level. Venus is scorched with a surface temperature of about 482° C (900° F). This high temperature is primarily due to a runaway greenhouse effect caused by the heavy atmosphere of carbon dioxide. Sunlight passes through the atmosphere to heat the surface of the planet. Heat is radiated out, but is trapped by the dense atmosphere and not allowed to escape into space. A Venusian day is 243 Earth days and is longer than its year of 225 days. Oddly, Venus rotates from east to west. To an observer on Venus, the Sun would rise in the west and set in the east. Find out about Venus on Wikipedia - opens in a new window - Click here! The Morning Star: The flower on the Right is also known as the morning star - it is called a passion flower or passiflora. The name passion flower comes from the religious symbolism assigned to the vine by Christians. The plant itself, is said to symbolize the passion of Jesus or the agony that he went through before he was crucified. Some Christians believe the structure of the flower represents the crucifixion of Jesus. Others say the flower and the fruit represents the crown of thorns worn by Jesus Christ (or a halo) and the petals represent the apostles. Find out more about the Passion Flower on Wikipedia - opens in a new window - Click here
Noel: Noel is used at Christmas as a refrain or Chorus in Carols and on Christmas cards. It origin is French and based on the Latin word "Nasci" which means "to be born" and "Natalis" which means "Birthday". Related words are found in many languages around the world: Nowell in Old English. Natal is Spanish, Nataale in Italian and Nadal in Provencal. Noels can be seen as early as the 5th Century manuscripts and are songs or poems of feasting and rejoicing. The famous song "The first Noel", is probably remembered for its repetition - the carol contains the word "Noel" 29 times. It first appeared in print in England in a collection by William Sandys in 1883. Most people think it is from 16th or 17th century France. However, some think it could be English. Where ever it came from enjoy the pictures and the music.
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Listen to the music of O Holy NightAnother carol with "Noel" in its title is "Cantique de Noel" meaning O Holy Night. It is seen as one of the most beautiful carols with beautiful moving music and special words. It was written by Adolphe Adam who was French and he was best know for his ballet Giselle.
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A WINTER'S DAY.
