Polmont Old
Parish Church - Scotland
Parish Church - Scotland
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 Welcome to Day 1 of our 2010 Advent Calendar - We hope you enjoy exploring the themes of Advent - guiding us each day towards Christmas and the excitement that it brings. However, in the midst of all the Love shared and gifts exchanged, among our families and friends, we must remember the most wonderful gift of all - The Christ Child. Come with us and explore how the events leading up to the First Christmas unfolded. To help us we will read the Bible story so that as we open each day on our Calendar we will have a better understanding of the events leading up to the Birth of Jesus. I hope you enjoy the Calendar - there are some new things and some older items from previous years - I hope you enjoy Advent and Christmas 
A is for Advent which just means getting ready for the coming of Jesus.A is also for Angels who brought the news of the coming babies to Zechariah and Mary. A also stands for the host of Angels that brought "news of great joy, that was for all the people."  Isaiah Ch7 V13 and 14: Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Note: Immanuel - God With us.John Ch1 V1 to 5 and V14 and 15: 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 all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Matthew Ch 1 V18 to 25: This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
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Now that we have lit the first candle we can think about our Christmas Tree. When I was a child I loved when the Christmas Tree came into the house - the smell of the pine resin is fixed in my memory. Then the time came to decorate the tree, with the tinsel and baubles and lights. Then we would put out the other lights and switch on the Christmas Tree lights - what a wonderful sight. It will stay with me for ever. As an adult and when my children were small we used to do the same thing so that a little of the wonderment of Christmas will stay with them and hopefully one day they can pass that on to their own children.