BH Bulletin - Thursday 3 December 2020

Thought for the Day by Rich Arnold
​(Youth and Families Minster at Holy Cross)

The tree is up. The lights are on. The advent calendars (we have multiple ones!) are in various places. The nativity scene is out.  The excitement is growing! That’s certainly true in the Arnold house anyway.  The excitement and anticipation of Christmas reminds us that Jesus Christ is very precious.  But it is not just Christmas that makes him precious.  Read these famous words from the start of John’s gospel: 
 
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God (John 1:1-2) 
 
The opening line of my advent devotional reading yesterday went like this: ‘The glory of Christmas is that it is not the beginning of Christ’ (David Mathis, The Christmas We Didn’t Expect) 
 
The baby born on the first Christmas was not just precious because of his unique virgin birth.   
He was not just precious because he was the fulfilment of all Old Testament scripture.   
He was not just precious because he would save us from our sins 
He was not just precious because he was the long-awaited Messiah who would establish God’s kingdom now and forever.   
He was precious because, unlike any person born throughout history, he already existed! He always existed!  He is the Word – the pre-existent, eternal divine Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity.  Christmas did not mark the beginning of Christ, for he has no beginning.  Wonderfully, that first Christmas marked the coming of the Christ as he took on flesh, but he was around long before!   
It seems that the first thing the apostle John wants us to do as he takes us back to the original Christmas is not firstly to behold our Saviour or our promised Messiah or King (wonderful though that is) but to behold our God! 
How precious it is that God sent God into the world!
How precious it is that the One who stepped into time and space, was there before time and space! 
How precious it is that the One given for us was also the One who made us!
How precious it is that a human didn’t become the Word, but the Eternal Word became human!
I hope that Jesus isn’t precious to you just because he came at Christmas.  I hope that He is also precious to you because He is by nature precious.  He is and was and always will be the glorious, perfect, eternal Son of God- the most precious thing in the universe. 
 
Whether you are as excited and ready for Christmas (along with all the trimmings!) as we are in in my house, pray that nothing would distract you from seeing just how precious Jesus Christ really is.   
 
​Why not praise Him right now? 
Rich

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Week of Prayer - Day 4

Today is the fourth day of the BH Week of Prayer.  Join together with others to pray on zoom for half an hour at 7am and also at 8pm.
Join via Churchsuite or the website under What's happening/Events/Featured Events

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Message from Phil Moon (Vicar) - We're Back!!!

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​O come all ye faithful singing project

A reminder that Matt Jones is eagerly waiting to receive your videos as advertised in the BH Bulletin last Friday 27th. He has received a number but still wants more (he is never satisfied!). Please record these as soon as possible and return them to him directly or to the office using Google Drive or wetransfer.com .
Many thanks.

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