Readings (Click the links to see the readings)

Isaiah 35.1-10 | Psalm 146 | James 5.7-10 | Matthew 11.2-11 |

Prepare
by Jan Richardson

Strange how one word
will so hollow you out.
But this word
has been in the wilderness
for months.
Years. This word is what remained
after everything else
was worn away
by sand and stone.
It is what withstood
the glaring of sun by day,
the weeping loneliness of
the moon at night. Now it comes to you
racing out of the wild
text-align:center" eyes blazing
and waving its arms,
its voice ragged with desert
but piercing and loud
as it speaks itself
again and again. Prepare, prepare. It may feel like
the word is leveling you
emptying you
as it asks you
to give up
what you have known. It is impolite
and hardly tame
but when it falls
upon your lips
you will wonder
at the sweetness like honey
that finds its way
into the hunger
you had not known
was there.
—Through the Advent Door: Entering a Contemplative Christmas by Jan Richardson. Wanton Gospeller Press, 2011.

Prayer

Father in heaven,
our hearts desire the warmth of your love
and our minds are searching for the light of your Word.
Increase our longing for Christ our Saviour
and give us the strength to grow in love,
that the dawn of his coming
may find us rejoicing in his presence
and welcoming the light of his truth.
—International Committee on English in the Liturgy

Justice, mercy and peace

ABM's priorities in supporting both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Anglicans are to support the ministry of Indigenous Australians with their own people and communities and to support programs of training and leadership development. The people and projects contribute to the development of Indigenous communities and the Australian community as a whole. The overall program has an emphasis on local leadership development rather than external leadership. ABM seeks to encourage and support Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders to minister to their own people in Australia.

"The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly …" (Isa 35.1-2)

The Silk Road: A Musical Caravan: Bruno Caillat & Dariush Safva. (Not a Christmas song, but something pleasant to honour our Persian members.)