Christmas Countdown

From the Manse.....   

Dear All,   
It is with grateful thanks to all our contributors that I commend this year's  Advent Devotional to
you.   

As in previous years, for each day you will find a bible passage, a short reflection  and a prayer to
help you ponder upon God's word for us all this Advent season. A time that is about waiting and
preparing for the miracle of Christmas that we encounter at the culmination of our Advent journey. 

We must not forget however, that Advent is more than a period of getting ready, for it also focuses
our attention on the present even as we look ahead.  It reminds us of how the things of God are to
be found and discovered in the ordinary and every day whilst we prepare for THE special day and
the extraordinary.   

We thank Alan Grist, Valerie Grist, Irena Byron, Barbara Kershaw, Helen Carter, Liz Wood, Ruth
Dams, Libby Bolton, Carol Sturt, Barbara Sexton, Stephen Atkinson, Peter Hemmings, Ian Sturt,
Wendy Moorin and Andrew Dixon for their wisdom, insight and reflections as they lead us day by
day.   

Although I will not be with you this Advent and Christmas, as I take the first part of my sabbatical,
I will nonetheless, be travelling alongside you as I use this booklet for my Advent devotions.  

With love and God Bless
Keith