God of our waiting, we light this candle to remind us of the great promise that your Son, Jesus, will be born anew among us. We pray that you may deepen our awareness of the mystery of God in our lives, as revealed in your Son, Jesus. Amen
The first week of Advent begins this weekend, a time of preparation and remembrance. Our preparation is for the "King of kings" that we celebrate today, hoping and expecting that He will come into our hearts and homes on Christmas day with all the peace and joy that only a loving God and Saviour could bring.
The remembrance is of the time He came to earth 2000 years ago as an infant to begin the Christian era with the divine gift of salvation, which He holds out to all who are willing to commit themselves to His way of living.
Paying attention to the “now” of Christ’s presence is a challenge at this time of year. So much is happening around us, so many things to complete, so many things to prepare for.
The secret – it’s simple Hold fast to one word in our hearts – that word is EMMANUAL which means God is with us.
Adapted from “Breaking Open the Word 2023”
When joining the Ritchies Card program you are given the option to nominate your favourite club school or charity (known as Recipients). Each time you scan your card (either physical card or electronic card in the App) when making a purchase at any of our participating stores, the total is recorded to your chosen club, school or charity. At the end of each month, Ritchies will pay your chosen club, school or charity .5% of the total accrued directly into the Recipient’s nominated bank account*.
