St. Luke's, Ramsgate

Then the heads of the families of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites—everyone whose spirit God had stirred—got ready to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:5)

For many people Christmas is the time when family and loved ones visit to enjoy the festivities together. It is also a time when Christians celebrate the greatest visitor of all: Jesus Christ. As the Son of God, he visited us from heaven to reconcile the world to God.

We might feel very familiar with the Christmas story and the reason we repeat it every year is because there is real treasure in Jesus and the gift he was that first Christmas

One of the key traditions of Christmas is the giving and receiving of presents.

But how easy is it these days to buy the perfect present? To give a gift that is truly worth giving?

This third Sunday of Advent is traditionally one where we remember John the Baptist as the modern prophet who came to testify about who Jesus was. John's part in God's stroy was to come and be a witness. He invited people to come and be ready to receive the truth about Jesus in their lives, and to believe in him.

Last week Paul challenged us in this season of Advent to commit to what will last. We want to be prepared for eternity, Jesus is going to come back and we want to encourage others to be prepared to meet with Him too.

Jesus said "...Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." (Mark 13:31). Advent is more than just the lead up to Christmas. It is an opportuniy to reflect on our lives from the perspetive of eternity.

How does God guide us? If we truly love God and are serious about being disciples of Christ, then we should always want toact and make decisions in line with what God wants.

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. (1 Peter 1:14)

The Last Enemy to be Destroyed is Death