Praise the Lord, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits -
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
(Psalm 103: 1-5)
We thank God for all of his blessings during 2025 and wish all of our Connexion communities in the UK, Sierra Leone and beyond, a very Happy New Year!
We pray that 2026 will bring good health, peace, love and joy to all.
Amen!
The fourth candle of Advent reminds us of God's Love.
The virtues of love, hope, peace and joy are hugely important in the Christmas story as well as our Christian faith and journey with Jesus.
1Corinthians (13) tells us: 'And now these three remain: faith hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.'
The third candle of Advent celebrates the joy of Christ's coming to earth.
It is a reminder that no earthly thing can ever give us complete joy. Pure joy comes from rejoicing in the good news of Jesus’ birth, and His power to bring hope, peace, love and salvation to all people.
The lighting of the candle on the second Sunday of Advent marks Jesus' forthcoming birth as the promise of peace on earth.
Jesus is the 'Prince of Peace'.
One of the hallmarks of the Christmas story is when the angels appear to the shepherds and proclaim:
'Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to all men
on whom his favour rests.' (Luke 2:14)
Foreseen earlier in the OT by the prophet Isaiah:
'For to us a child is born. And he will be called
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.' (Isaiah 9:6)
Christmas lights and candles offer a reminder that Jesus is the light of the world, and he came to bring light into the darkness.
This theme of light is what originally gave birth to the Advent Wreath in Lutheran Germany.
The Advent Wreath is typically evergreen and contains five candles, each lit on successive Sundays during the Advent readings.
Advent readings can vary within churches and denominations.
Our verse for the First Advent Sunday this year, 30 November 2025, relates to Hope and is taken from Isaiah 9:2.
Because of the Lord's great love
we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself,
The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.
(Lamentations 3: 22-24)
Wishing everyone in The Connexion community - and beyond - a very Happy New Year!
We pray that 2025 will bring you good health, peace, love and joy.
The fourth candle of Advent reminds us of God's Love.
The virtues of love, hope, peace and joy are hugely important in the Christmas story as well as our Christian faith and journey with Jesus.
1Corinthians (13) tells us: 'And now these three remain: faith hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.'
The third candle of Advent celebrates the joy of Christ's coming to earth.
It is a reminder that no earthly thing can ever give us complete joy. Pure joy comes from rejoicing in the good news of Jesus’ birth, and His power to bring hope, peace, love and salvation to all people.
The lighting of the candle on the second Sunday of Advent marks Jesus' forthcoming birth as the promise of peace on earth.
Jesus is the "Prince of Peace' and one of the hallmarks of the Christmas story is when the angels appear to the shepherds and proclaim:
'Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to all men
on whom his favour rests.' (Luke 2:14)
Christmas lights and candles offer a reminder that Jesus is the light of the world, and he came to bring light into the darkness.
This theme of light is what originally gave birth to the Advent Wreath in Lutheran Germany. The Advent Wreath is typically evergreen and contains five candles, each lit on successive Sundays during the Advent readings.
Advent readings can vary within churches and denominations. Our verse for the First Advent Sunday, which in 2024 falls on 1 December, relates to Hope and is taken from Isaiah 9:2.