Sunday 19th December 2016 - Hope
Readings: Isaiah 7: 10-16 , Romans 1: 1-6, Matthew 1: 18-25 May I speak in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Well, we’re almost there. It’s nearly Christmas. Tonight, we have our carol service and soon it will be time to start a bit of Christmas shopping. There is always a lot going on at this time of year, it often feels like celebrations start even before Advent and that the goal is to consume more than is practical or sensible. I know this isn’t the same for everyone and it really is good to see people having fun at the end of what has been a difficult year for many of us. As some of you know, this year hasn’t been the easiest for me, it started with several months off work with viral labyrthinthitis, which affected my balance, then redundancy, starting a new job and then this last month, another virus which made my asthma and breathing quite bad. This has all been combined with Reader training and exploring my calling wi