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Welcome to Day 19 of our 2010 Advent Calendar - This is the Fourth Sunday in Advent, where the theme is JOY. We hope you enjoy exploring the themes of Advent - guiding us each day towards Christmas and the excitement that it brings. 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 Here is our Christmas Countdown Clock! T is for the Time of year; mid winter so we are told. And from that time the years would change and instead of B.C. Before Christ, they would become Anno Domini, 'In the year of our Lord'. This was introduced about the year 527 by Dionysius Exiguus, a Scythian monk resident at Rome, who fixed its starting point in the year 753 from the foundation of Rome, in which year, according to his calculation, the birth of Christ occurred. Making this the year 1 of his era, he counted the years which followed in regular course from it, calling them years "of the Lord", and we now designate such a date A.D. (i.e. Anno Domini). The year preceding A.D. 1 is called Ante Christum (A.C.) or Before Christ (B.C.). It is to be noted that there is no year 0 intervening, as some have imagined, between B.C. and A.D. It is supposed by many that the calculation of Dionysius was incorrect, and that the birth of Christ really occurred three years earlier than he placed it, or in the year of Rome 750 which he styles 3 B.C. This, however, is immaterial for the purposes of chronology, the first year of the Christian Era being that fixed, rightly or wrongly, by Dionysius. His system was adopted but gradually, first in Italy, then in other parts of Christendom. England would appear to have been among the earliest regions to have made use of it, under the influence of the Roman missioners, as it is found in Saxon charters of the seventh century. Visit Wikipedia and find out about how our Calendar was decided - Opens in a new window Here is our Advent reading for the 4th Sunday. Isaiah Ch35 V1 to 10: The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.” Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. Comment The theme for the Fourth Sunday in Advent is Love. Here we see how God in His Love and Wisdom will create a wonderful environment for His People. It is to be a Re - Creation - everything will be renewed - the wilderness will blossom and produce all manner of things - just like modern day Israel. But it is also to be a Re - Creation of the people - those that are afraid, feeble, blind or lame will discover or indeed re-discover the Almighty God and His Forgivness and Love. Prayer: Almighty God Our Father we give thanks that we are part of this Re-creation - that our eyes are opened in Jesus to see the wonders of Your World and experience that Love that took Jesus to the Cross for the brokenness of your world. On our Advent journey we pray that You would open our eyes afresh, open our ears to hear the true message of Christmas and enable and refresh our bodies and minds to share the Christmas Message though Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Something to do today If you have an Advent Wreath - here is a short reading and ceremony before lighting the Fourth candle. Do you know what it feels like to feel utterly alone? To try to attempt to live your life with no one to fall back on, no safety net, no help? If you've been through some desperate times in your life, then you know exactly what this feels like. I suspect that Mary felt a little like that, even when Joseph and Mary were married, she would have had the burden of bearing the baby, and until she was delivered in the stable - she was alone, but God was with her through it all. The wonderful promise made through the Christ-child - Immanuel is that God promises to be with you in your troubles. He will not leave you to your own resources. All of his resources are now available to you. The title Immanuel tells us about the mission of Jesus, it also tells us about his nature. Matthew's account of Mary's conception tells the story from Joseph's point of view. Luke's account focuses on Mary's experience. Immanuel, "God with us," is to be understood literally. Jesus is the physical son of Mary in his human nature, but spiritually, he is the Son of God, he has been begotten by God himself. So when the shepherds and wise men gather and worship the Baby, they are worshipping God himself. Jesus the Son is divine to the same degree that the Father is divine. Jesus is God! That is the very radical meaning of Christmas. It isn't about mistletoe and music, or parties and presents, or even the spirit of giving. Christmas is a celebration of the radical fact that God took on human flesh when Jesus was born. Jesus -- God Himself -- is Immanuel, God With Us! Prayer: Dear Lord, as we count down the hours until Christmas Morn, help us to rediscover that childlike thrill of years past, help us to rediscover the peace that come from understanding that Immanuel means that God is with us - even to the end of the world, to the end of our own resources. Lord we rejoice in knowing that Immanuel mean You are with us always. Father we thank you for such love in giving Your Son and for that Love that took Jesus to the Cross that we might be free. Lord hear our prayer offered in Jesus Name. Amen. (THREE CANDLES ALREADY LIT) VOICE 1: The fourth candle, to remind us of Mary who humbly received God's will as her own. VOICE 2: "And Mary said 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word'." VOICE 3: O God our Father, we thank you for the joyful experience of Mary. Help us to honour her lowly grace and to share in the humility which does not despise the Christ who comes as a child born in a stable. Earlier we were thinking about God's Re-Creation and how Isaiah told us what would happen so I thought it would be interseting to find out a bit more of part of God's creation and where better to look than in the Heavens - where the wisemen looked and followed the star. Enjoy! The Bethlehem Star: Following on from our look at the star symbols and their meanings, I thought we could have a quick look at the story behind the Bethlehem star. So what do we know about the star? Well we know quite a lot about the Star from the Bible. We know that it signified birth, kingship and it is connected with the Jewish nation. It rose in the east, like other stars and it appeared at a precise time. Herod didn't know when it appeared but it stayed bright for a long time. We also know that it was ahead of the Magi as they went south from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and that it stopped over Bethlehem. That is quite a lot, but if we were scientists or astronomers it wouldn't be enough. Down the centuries people have puzzled over which star it was. We know that around the time of Jesus Birth, the planets Saturn and Jupiter were unusually close which would have made the sky unusually bright. About that time we know that Halley's comet would have been visible, shooting across the night sky. Some of you may remember seeing the Halley's comet a few years ago, it was an amazing sight. However, none of these suggestions fit the story correctly. Certainly the Wise men of Magi recognised the star as a sign of the birth of a king! But why did they come up with this idea? Well there is a verse in the Book of Numbers CH24 V17 which says: "I see him, but not here and now. I perceive him, but far in the distant future. A star will rise from Jacob; a scepter will emerge from Israel." The wise men would have understood the meaning of this and set off to follow the star. There are so many theories about the Bethlehem star, but I suspect that we will never solve the mystery. There have been many attempts by scientists and astronomers to solve this. We even have wonderful computer software that can give us a picture of the night sky around the tie of Jesus Birth, but part of teh problem is that we do not know the exact year he was born. For more information check out wikipedia: Learn about the Star of Bethlehem - Opens in a new window Learn about the Star of Bethlehem. If you want to find out even more this is an interesting site with the most up to date theory based on a very old coin - Opens in a new window Here is a lovely story about Heli, The Star of Bethlehem By Harrison Woodard On the third day of creation, God said, “Let there be lights in the heavens.” And according to His Word, the sun, moon and all the stars were created in the sky. God loved each star and would often invite them into His presence and listen to all that they had done. And then one day, He sent out a proclamation commanding all the stars to appear before Him. He would then select one for a very important purpose. With eagerness, all the stars gathered in His throne room. As they waited for God, some of the stars saw Amanda, the smallest star in the galaxy. “Surely you don’t think that God would select you?” said Tariq, one of the largest stars. “What could you possibly have to offer God?” added Vega, another prominent star. “I am here because it is God’s will,” said Amanda. Amanda made her way to the back of the room to watch the presentations. God entered the room and all the stars worshipped Him. And God spoke, “I am sending my son into the world. I will select one star to announce his arrival. The greatest among you will proclaim his birth to the world.” There was plenty of excitement in the throne room as each imagined what it would be like to have this great honor. They each came forward and presented their qualifications to God. “I give light and heat to 15 planets and 27 moons. I am one of the largest stars in the galaxy. I would be very proud to announce your Son’s birth,” said Tariq. “Very impressive indeed,” said God. “Humans know me as the North Star. I have guided many sailors to their destination and have been a constant beacon of light for all travellers. Who would be better to mark the birth of your son?” said Polaris. "Well done,” said God. “I am one of the brightest stars. My light is seen all over this great galaxy. I can think of nothing more wonderful than to share my light with the earth,” said Sirius. “Good job,” said God. From the greatest to the brightest, all the stars presented themselves to God. They all told Him all the wonderful things that they had accomplished. “Is there anyone else?” asked God. “Just me Lord,” said Amanda. She humbly approached the throne and bowed. “No planets or moons revolve around me and I guide no sailors home. My much larger and brighter brothers hide my light. But I joyfully do your will to the best of my ability. I am what you say I am. I will be what you say I will be,” said Amanda. She bowed and returned to her spot at the back of the room. There was a great silence in the throne room as everyone considered Amanda’s words. After a long pause, Astra, one of the wisest of the stars, came forward. “Lord, I am not worthy of such a great honor. Please select another.” With that she bowed and left the throne room. One by one, each star came forward and said the same words until only Amanda remained. “Lord, I don’t understand. Why did they all leave?” asked Amanda. "They all came forward to announce their own power and ability. You were the only one that proclaimed faith in my ability. You truly are the greatest star.” “Thank you Lord,” said Amanda. “From now on you will be called Heli,” said God. “You will proclaim my glory in the night sky for all to see.” “I will do everything you say,” said Heli. Heli took her place in the night sky above Bethlehem. For many months, she was the brightest and most beautiful star the world had ever seen. When her mission was complete, God gave her a very special place of honor in the night sky. On a clear night you can still see her. She is not the biggest or the brightest, but she is still there, faithfully obeying God. She truly is the greatest star. The End Make angels for your Christmas Tree. A Christmas Tree Angel You can make an angel or a whole host of them to hang on your Christmas tree. Follow the steps below and refer to the picture to help you. If you are small you should get an adult to help you with the cutting. Step 1: Draw and cut out a circle about 10 to 12 centimetres in diameter - you can use a cup or a mug and draw round it. Use coloured paper - gold or silver looks great, but you can also use white or coloured paper and colour the angel in later. See picture 1 Step 2: From the centre of the circle mark out three quarters of another circle about 2 to 3 centimetres in diameter. See picture 1 Step 3: Mark lines A and B on the same diameter about 3 centimetres long. See picture 2 Step 4: Mark line C at right angles to lines A and B, from the outside of the disc to the inner circle. See picture 2 Step 5: Carefully cut along all the lines. A and B now become slots. See Picture 2 Step 6: without creasing the paper wrap it round so that slot A slips into slot B. The angels body now forms a cone. To keep it together you can use a small piece of Bluetack or sticky tape. See Picture 3 Step 7: Bend the head upright, and fix a piece of thread to the back of the head with tape, so that you can hang it on the tree. If you have time you can make lots of them. Here is a picture of an Angel for the younger ones to colour in - right click to download the picture and colour it in using your Paint Programme.