Advent Calendar – Day 15 – St George and St John, Newbury

Welcome to Advent…Day 15
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.

Nativity Scene… by Martha and Beth Fellowes, St John’s Baby & Toddler Group,
*Playmobil figures playing various parts.*

Music Suggestion

from Spotify

Shepherds visit the Holy Family, Orthodox Icon

The Shepherds visit Jesus
When the shepherds saw Jesus, they told his parents what the angel had said about him. Everyone listened and was surprised. But Mary kept thinking about all this and wondering what it meant.

As the shepherds returned to their sheep, they were praising God and saying wonderful things about him. Everything they had seen and heard was just as the angel had said.

A Poem – Mary’s Song by Luci Shaw

He sleeps whose eyelids have not closed before.
His breath (so slight it seems
no breath at all) once ruffled the dark deeps
to sprout a world.
Charmed by doves’ voices, the whisper of straw,
he dreams,
hearing no music from his other spheres.
Breath, mouth, ears, eyes
he is curtailed
who overflowed all skies,
all years.
Older than eternity, now he is new….

You can find the whole poem here

Reflection and Blessing for you and your loved ones
Mary kept think and wondered what it all meant. She had agreed to the angel all those months ago, but maybe only now did the enormity dawn on her. Reflect (and share?) times when you have felt the weight of a special moment.

God of the Shepherds, the Angels and Mary, help us to treasure the gift of each moment
May the LOVE that Mary felt for the child in her arms shine in all our lives today and always. Amen

The Food Bank

West Berks Foodbank Reverse Advent Calendar
Day 15 – tinned fruit

Advent Calendar – Day 15

St George the Martyr

St John the Evangelist

St Michael & All Angels