We struggled with having tinsel in the shops in September and the festive pop on the radio since mid-November, then we snap our fingers after Christmas Day and there are Easter eggs in the Co-op *sigh*.
But it’s all very well for us to tut and roll our eyes at the shops having Easter eggs already – look at this week’s Bible reading. Two weeks ago, Jesus was born in a manger, last week he was a toddler being visited by magi and this week, he was a grown man, about to start his short but illustrious preaching career and being baptised in the river Jordan. Talk about moving swiftly on!
However, far from skipping straight to Easter, Archdeacon Guy Elsmore explained this Sunday that thirty years had passed “unremarkably” for Jesus whilst he grew up, learnt his earthly father’s trade and matured into the role His heavenly Father had planned for Him. He spent this time preparing for what was to come.
If you remember or listen again to Natasha’s sermon from 6th January, she was encouraging us in this season of Epiphany, to hold on to the whole point of Christmas – God’s gift to us and the transformation this brings. Over the next few weeks, we are asking ourselves what we can give to God or to others around us, in return for this Great Gift? Later this term we will be exploring this in a sermon series called Paraclesis, but in the meantime, give yourself some preparation time and give God a chance to remind you of your gifts. If you took a treasure box home, make some notes and store them to be revealed later…
And just to keep Christmas in our hearts a little longer, here are a few photos from Christmas Eve:
Stoke Poges Church Blog 