Hazelwell Weekly Contact 15th December 2024
10 Dec 2024 • Weekly Notices
Hazelwell Methodist Communion Service
Third Sunday in Advent
led by Revd. Mindy Bell
Please pray for
The residents of Fawley Grove & Allen’s Croft Road
Please remember in your prayers those for whom the Christmas season makes their lives even more difficult
Parish Update
The Christingle service was very well attended and enjoyed by everyone. A collection taken in aid of “The Children’s Society” amounted to £110.30
Christmas at Hazelwell
We look forward to welcoming you to our Christmas services
Next Sunday will be a methodist Communion service
On the 22nd there will be no 10.00am service
as we look forward to our festive, candlelit Carol service.
On CHRISTMAS DAY we will celebrate Communion at 10.00am
Advent Reflection on Christian Joy
Advent is a season of anticipation, preparation, and hopeful expectation. As Christians, we await the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, but also anticipate His final return. One of the central themes of Advent is joy, a joy that is not based on circumstances or fleeting emotions but on the eternal hope we find in the coming of Christ.
In the midst of the busyness of the season—shopping, decorating, and preparing meals—Advent calls us to slow down and reflect on the deeper, lasting joy that the birth of Jesus brings. This joy is rooted in the Gospel, the "Good News" that God has entered into our world in the person of Jesus Christ. It is a joy that transcends temporary happiness, rooted in the salvation we receive through His birth, life, death, and resurrection.
The joy of Advent is grounded in the reality that God is with us—Emmanuel. This isn’t a distant, abstract joy but one that is deeply personal. As we await the coming of Christ, we are reminded that God chose to enter into the fullness of our human experience, with all its joys and sorrows. The joy of Advent is the joy of being loved by a God who understands us completely, who has walked where we walk and now walks with us.
Advent invites us to find joy in the ordinary. In the birth of Jesus, God chose to enter into the most humble and ordinary circumstances—a stable, a manger, a young couple. This reminds us that God's joy is not found in grandeur or perfection but in the simple, everyday moments of life. Advent calls us to look for Christ in the midst of our ordinary lives, to find joy in the small things—family, friendship, service, and the quiet moments of prayer and reflection.
As we journey through Advent, let us reflect on the profound Christian joy that comes from the birth of Jesus Christ May this joy fill our hearts and overflow to others as we prepare for the celebration of Christmas and the second coming of Christ.
