Thoughts for the Day

Jesus said, 'Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple - truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.'

(Church in Wales Lectionary, from New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Christmas is coming - even if it is a somewhat limited one because of Covid-19! Have you started planning yet? Or have you nearly finished? Well whether you haven't started or have finished your preparations, and whether you will be getting together with family or not, what might you usually do if the family were coming to you for Christmas? Here's some suggestions;

• Buy presents/send them.
• Send out Christmas/e-cards.
• Invite people to come for Christmas.
• Put up decorations.
• Clean the House
• Buy food.
• Do some cooking.

Ultimately you want a warm and welcoming house for your guests, or if you're the guest you want to be enfolded in a loving home when you arrive. Jesus said if we welcome someone we welcome Him, and when we welcome Him we welcome God the Father.

While you might not be able to physically welcome others at this time, how might this thought change preparations for your Christmas?

Thursday 26th November, follow up thoughts

Lord Jesus,
help us to remember
when we plan to celebrate
Your birth, that we need to
remember others who need help,
not just our family and friends.
May we remember that
to welcome others
means we are welcoming You.
Amen.