On Sunday 22nd December at 6.30pm, make a bee line for church for a traditional service of lessons and carols.

There is no better way to be reminded of the importance of the Nativity than through this familiar selection of readings and music.

This morning, on the last Sunday of Advent, both Joseph and Ahaz receive a sign from God.  Signs give us strength and hope, they show us that we are on the right path.  The sign given to king Ahaz in Isaiah 7:10-26 is the same as the sign given to Joseph in Matthew 1:18-25, a newborn child.  King Ahaz rejects the sign.  He is going into battle he wants a sign of power and might.  He wants to know that God will strengthen his army and grant him victory, he wants a sign of power and might.  The child is a sign of vulnerability and need. 

The sign God gives points towards a choice: we can, like Ahaz, focus on securing our position in the world, we can seek to negotiate with power, to ally ourselves with the rich and the mighty.  Or, like Jospeh, we can choose to ally ourselves with the most vulnerable.

We too want a sign, a sign that everything will turn out alright, for ourselves and our families, for our community and our nation, for the world. The sign God sends us to follow is still the same: a child, a vulnerable infant. This is the path God points us towards: to stand with the poor, protect the weak, support and uphold those in need.  This is the path that leads us to a future all can share.  

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