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Day Nine activities
If you have an Advent Wreath - here is a short reading and ceremony before lighting the two candles.
The Advent season is a fitting time for reflection. Are our lives ready for the coming again of our Lord Jesus in a way so mysterious that we cannot imagine? We do not know the time or the way of His Advent but we are called to prepare both patiently and actively. In our waiting and our hope we need to make time to keep an ear open for God, listening to His Word and His people: This second week in Advent we think of God's gift of the Bible and those who bring the good news to the people: Listen to the words of Isaiah the prophet:
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah Ch6 V8 NIV.
A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
A voice says, "Cry out." . . . You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!"
See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.
He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Isaiah Ch40 v3 to 11. NIV.
The stories of Advent help us strike the right note for our wait. Use these reflections to immerse yourself in the season, and find your own hope and joy along the wait.
Prayer: Loving God we thank You for Your Word in the Old and New Testaments. As we consider the words of Isaiah, as he responded to the Call to Go and Help, in the mad rush of this Advent season, help us to respond on a personal level so that we may go and help others in a myriad of ways, that they may know that we are God's people who are willing to bring the good news of Jesus - that we and all may know that we are gathered in close to Your Heart that this Christmas will be the most special ever. Amen.
Something to think about and do today
Mistletoe Today we are going to find out about Mistletoe and also learn about some of the legends associated with it:
In ancient Britain mistletoe was called All-heal by the Druids and to this day is banned in many churches as a decoration because of its pagan associations.
Mistletoe is a parasitic plant seems to favour the apple tree, however, you can be find it hawthorn and oak and sometimes on poplar trees. It has medicinal qualities and has been used to alleviate heart disease, St. Vitus Dance, toothache and even snake-bite. Doctors have found that it does indeed contain a drug called guipsine which is useful in the treatment of nervous complaints.
The origin of the custom of kissing under the mistletoe, which seems to be only found in the UK is unknown. The plant is winter fruiting and this may have something to do with the fact that it was thought to protect houses from evil and ensure a fertile new year. In any case, each time a young man claimed a kiss he was supposed to pick off a berry and when they had all disappeared the kissing was supposed to stop. In Scandinavia it was hung outside the house to show a welcome and hospitality to all visitors.
The Druids cut it ceremoniously with a golden sickle and never allowed it to fall to the ground. In some counties it is said to be very unlucky to gather mistletoe at any time other than Christmas. To cut down the host tree supposedly means that the person concerned will suffer a very unpleasant demise.
Listen and watch Cliff Richard sing Mistletoe and wine!
Legends and stories about the Mistletoe
As we saw earlier no one knows where the custom of kissing under the Mistletoe originated. However, the following legend might explain the significance of kissing under the mistletoe.
Balder, the sun god was loved by all the other gods and they protected him by placing spells on everything that might harm him. He was safe from water and drowning, swords could not wound him and poison had no effect on him, but they forgot to place a spell on the mistletoe.
Loki, the god of evil, discovered this so he made an arrow out of a mistletoe branch which he put it in the bow of Hoder, the blind god, and Balder was killed. The other gods brought him back to life and the mistletoe promised never to hurt anybody again. So it became an emblem of love and peace.
There is a myth which says that at one time mistletoe was a forest tree whose wood was used for the Cross on which Christ died. It shrivelled in shame but was allowed to redeem itself by becoming the plant under whose influence people kiss and make up. To the Christian, therefore, in spite of its pagan associations, the true significance of kissing under the mistletoe should involve forgetting old quarrels and going forth into the New Year in harmony and peace.
This text will be replaced by the flash music player.
Listen to the Carol, that goes with our reading today - Go tell it on the mountain!"
Go Tell it on the Mountain
Chorus Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born.
While shepherds kept their watching
Over silent flocks by night
Behold throughout the heavens
There shone a holy light.
The shepherds feared and trembled,
When lo! above the earth,
Rang out the angels chorus
That hailed the Savior’s birth.
Down in a lowly manger
The humble Christ was born
And God sent us salvation
That blessèd Christmas morn.
The story of the Carol:
After the Civil War, an African American choir director in Tennessee named John Wesley Work was on a mission. His goal was to preserve the Spirit-filled songs of black Americans from the years of slavery which had mostly been passed on by oral tradition. Work was one of few educated African Americans in the South and he used his knowledge and perseverance to teach the lessons of the Christian life through these old songs.
Work's music influenced a nearby black college's choir and soon its Fisk Jubilee singers were taking the Negro spirituals with them as they traveled around the country and even to England to perform for Queen Victoria. John Work's labors to revive these spiritual songs influenced his own church and family as well. His son and brother both continued the work collecting, composing and singing these traditional African American spirituals. Frederick Works, John Works' brother, is credited with bringing attention to the song "Go Tell It on the Mountain", whose author was never discovered.
Unlike many of the mournful lyrics and somber tones of the typical spiritual, "Go Tell It on the Mountain" was a joyous exclamation about the true meaning of Christmas--a subject not often put into song by slaves. John Work II and Frederick Work left the words intact, but changed the music to a more upbeat tune suitable for the Fisk Jubilee Singers to present to their audiences. In the 1880's, the Singers took "Go Tell It on the Mountain" to America and the world.
But that's not the end of the story! In 1909, the song was published in Religious Folk Songs of the Negro as Sung on the Plantations. John Work III, the third generation of the highly educated Work family, graduated from Julliard and studied history and music. He followed his father and grandfather in his devotion for documenting and preserving an important part of America's musical history. Sometimes he traveled across the country to interview elderly former slaves who had sung the spirituals themselves!
Sometime during the Great Depression, John Work III looked at "Go Tell It on the Mountain" and decided to expand upon the song. Whether he composed the new additional lyrics or found them through his research is not known, but the final product is the song we recognize today. It was published in 1940 and became more popular than ever. Through the dedication of the Work family, the words of an unknown slave were shared "over the mountain and everywhere"!
Here is a picture of Carol singers to colour in - right click to download the picture and colour it in using your Paint Programme.
If you have an Advent Wreath - here is a short reading and ceremony before lighting the two candles. 
A voice says, "Cry out." . . . You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!" 
The stories of Advent help us strike the right note for our wait. Use these reflections to immerse yourself in the season, and find your own hope and joy along the wait.
Today we are going to find out about Mistletoe and also learn about some of the legends associated with it:
Go, tell it on the mountain,
Work's music influenced a nearby black college's choir and soon its Fisk Jubilee singers were taking the Negro spirituals with them as they traveled around the country and even to England to perform for Queen Victoria. John Work's labors to revive these spiritual songs influenced his own church and family as well. His son and brother both continued the work collecting, composing and singing these traditional African American spirituals. Frederick Works, John Works' brother, is credited with bringing attention to the song "Go Tell It on the Mountain", whose author was never discovered.