Christmas Is Coming

 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

Less than a week to go! What is your favourite activity of Christmas? The dinner? The presents? The children’s reactions? For me, it is the annual Carol service. There is something comforting about singing familiar words and tunes. Yes, I know there is some biblical inaccuracy. I just love the way a carol service brings people together, believers, nominal believers, church-goers and unbelievers.

I also like to read devotionals at this time of the Christian calendar. This year I got round to publishing my own, “Advent to Epiphany”, meeting God’s partners. The theme was hatched several years ago. I had at first wanted to catch a traditional publishers’ eye but after several showed an interest and then went cold, the season had passed. I decided to self-publish.

Also, I changed my mind about the format. At first, I wanted to combine devotional pages and poetry. My Beta readers disagreed. Some loved the idea. Others hated it, thinking it would be too confusing for readers. So I took out all the poems, about one third of the book and rewrote those pages in a devotional mode. Sales have been slow but it has been rewarding to pass out free copies to acquaintances who are more open to spirituals matters at this time of the year. Thank you to those who have purchased a copy from Amazon (not everybody's favourite supplier, I know).

But for you, my ACW friends, I would like to share one of the poems I removed from the publication. I hope you enjoy it. It would have gone on the page relating to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

A Maiden Is Chosen

Eyes roaming across the land,

for someone to obey His commands.

Someone who could bear this honour;

without pride, without guile,

a maiden who would obediently follow.

A girl who is pure and holy in His sight,

and would know to do what is right.

Only a young girl will do; there must be quite a few.

Which one?

Which one will be chosen?

Purity is a must; in God she will trust.

Thoughtful obedience taken as read;

 it will stand her in good stead.

Gabriel, go and tell this girl; all the news to her unfurl.

She is full of joy and laughter, ready to encounter every disaster.

Gabriel, go!

 Go to Mary.

So wishing you all a grace-filled Christmas, especially as this is my last post. For those dog-lovers amongst us here is the latest photo of Lizzie, my puppy, now aged eight and a half months, weighing approx 42 kg.

Rosalie Weller, serves on the ACW committee as Groups' Coordinator. She is always looking for new ideas to share with the groups, so please do not hesitate to contact her at groups@christianwriters.co.uk.