Advent Calendar – Day 12 – St George and St John, Newbury

Welcome to Advent…Day 12
These short meditations can be done alone, with a partner, or with the whole family.
My suggestion is evening time; light a candle, play the music suggested below,
Have a little treat, it’s an Advent Calendar, after all!
(Maybe hide some chocolate around the house each day, or hang it from the ceiling?)
And read the material aloud together…
There’s quite a lot here. You dont need to do it all; either follow the story and the blessings, or simply enjoy the poems.
Make it a special moment, ten minutes of togetherness in this busy season.

Music Suggestion

from Spotify

For Younger Families
At that time an order was given that everyone had to go to their hometown to be registered. Joseph had to go to Bethlehem. Mary was engaged to Joseph and travelled with him to Bethlehem. Mary travelled for a very long time on a donkey and was now very heavily pregnant. The journey was long and hard and when they arrived in Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph were very tired.

The Story of the Birth of Jesus
About that time Emperor Augustus gave orders for the names of all the people to be listed in record books. These first records were made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to go to their own hometown to be listed. So Joseph had to leave Nazareth in Galilee and go to Bethlehem in Judea. Long ago Bethlehem had been King David’s hometown, and Joseph went there because he was from David’s family.
Mary was engaged to Joseph and travelled with him to Bethlehem. Legend tells us that Mary travelled on a donkey because she was now very heavily pregnant. The journey was long and hard, when they arrived in Bethlehem Mary and Joseph were very tired…

A Poem – Delay by Elizabeth Jennings
Excerpt…

Love that loves now may not reach me until
Its first desire is spent. The star’s impulse
Must wait for eyes to claim it beautiful
And love arrived may find us somewhere else.

You can find the full poem here

Reflection and Blessing for you and your loved ones
A long and difficult journey. A return to home, to family, to anscestors.
Journeys are ‘liminal’ in-between spaces, neither departing, nor arriving. They are strange yet inspiring places where we notice other details; the scenery, the weather, our travelling companions, our bodies, our expectations.

Holy God, inspire us to notice the details of our journey, to understand our time and our place.
May PEACE accompany you on the journey of life. Amen

The Food Bank

West Berks Foodbank Reverse Advent Calendar
Day 12 – tinned fish

Advent Calendar – Day 12

St George the Martyr

St John the Evangelist

St Michael & All Angels