Just as we get to the end of this year's Reading, Reflection and Prayer we reflect on the fact that the end of the gospel brings us to Christmas Eve. The gift of the Lord Jesus Christ is a whole life given to us - faithful to his Father all the way to death on a cross and through that death to resurrection. We think of that first visit to the tomb and the shock and implication of the empty tomb that confronts the women there.

The crucifixion. We think about the role of Joseph of Arimathea and of the women who follow Jesus and are present even when all the men have fled.

We read the story of Jesus' trial and of his being mocked by the soldiers who dress him in a purple robe and a crown of thorns. We talk about the way that mockery allows us to protect ourselves from truths that might threaten us.

The contrast between Jesus' persistence in seeking the Fathers' will and the disciples who fall asleep and Peter who denies him. We reflect on the call to watch and pray resonating with our advent theme of faithful attention.

An extravagant act of worship and Jesus' celebrating the Passover with his disciples. We talk about the need for Spirit filled wholehearted worship and of the way in which the gospel is inexorably leading us towards the cross.

Jesus answers the disciples' question about when the Temple will be destroyed. He warns them about trouble ahead, but assures them that they can trust the Holy Spirit to tell them what to say. We think about the way in which that is good advice for us too, as we 'stay awake' and 'watch' in this Advent season.

We think about the way in which the widow at the temple serves as an example of sacrificial giving. She's quite a contrast to the religious leaders that Jesus criticizes, who will of course be the ones to choose how her offering is used in the service of the temple.

We focus on the hypothetical question that the Sadducees ask Jesus about a woman who was married to seven brothers over the course of her lifetime. Ruth, a lover of hypothetical questions, strongly identifies with this kind of question!

Jesus curses a fig tree, turns over tables in the temple and is extremely shrewd when dealing with a tough question. Not always the picture we have of Jesus in our heads of a gentle man with a lamb wrapped over his shoulder.

Jesus enters Jerusalem. Ruth reflects on the way in which Jesus knew about the Colt and its owner. Perhaps he happened to know, but it seems that this is, again, a word of knowledge - a reflection of Jesus' intimate connection to the Holy Spirit.