Category Archives: Advent 2025

Advent 2025

Advent 2025: Week 4: Love

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Advent 4: Love
Horsham: 23rd December 2025

The theme of this fourth week of Advent is love.

Love

I wonder whether you have ever encountered a tiny baby, just a few days or weeks old, in the street or a coffee bar with Mum or Dad. You probably couldn’t help smiling. Even if you don’t know the family, there is something so extraordinarily special about a new born child. Every new born child is indescribably special. Their beauty is matched only by their vulnerability.

If that child is in some way related to you, or to someone special to you, it’s probable that you will have experienced a pang of, well, what do we call it? Protectiveness? Affection? Love? It’s a feeling which is difficult to describe. The emotions somehow defy description. Love is in there somewhere, and I’ve come to notice that there are different levels of love.

I have recently been blessed by the arrival of a Grandson. Of course, his arrival was not a complete surprise. It was a bit like Advent  – we spent months looking forwards to his arrival. He is the first child for my son and his partner. He is indescribably special.  I cannot put into words how I feel about this little one. He is indescribably beautiful. When I first met the little guy and held him, the emotions were almost overpowering. Ok, anyone who knows me is aware that I’m a pretty emotional person, but the moment was beyond special. I truly love that child. But I have to acknowledge, however, powerful my ‘Grandad’ love is, it is sort of dwarfed by that of my Grandson’s Mum and Dad. 

There is a photograph of my Grandson, taken within seconds of his birth, in the arms of a theatre nurse. It’s an extraordinary, powerful, moving picture, but there was something even more extraordinary going on at the moment that picture was taken. You can’t see it, but it was in the same room, and it was taking place at the moment that picture was taken. In plain sight. In that instant, something extraordinary happened to the mother and father of my Grandson. This is their child. They discovered a depth of love which they had never experienced before. An depth of love which they never knew existed. It engulfed them at that moment of meeting their child. Their love for this little one is so.. indescribable. 

I suppose that you need to experience that level of love to even begin to understand it.  If you are privileged to experience it, your mind will be blown, and you will not be able to conceive of any kind of love which is bigger or deeper that what you are feeling in that moment.

You see the problem with trying to describe real, profound love, is that it defies description. Somehow, in the English language at least, the word ‘love’ is inadequate. We use the word so freely, to describe things we ‘like’ or ‘enjoy’, that when it comes to the special – the really special moments, it almost doesn’t work. When it comes to true love, the feeling, the passion, is simply beyond words. You can only recognise it when you experience it.

Advent Love
For thousands of years, followers of Jesus have had a particular day when they met together to the celebration of Christmas. In my culture, that will take place on 25th December, as it has done for hundreds of years. During Advent, in the weeks before Christmas, we have been reminded of the hope, the peace, and the joy which the birth of that particular child brought, not only to his parents, but to the world. This week we are reminded of ‘love’, but it’s more than you might think.

The baby, at the moment when he was born, was every bit as beautiful and vulnerable as my Grandson. At the moment of his birth, the parents of this child, like every other loving parent throughout human history, would have discovered new depths of love for their child.

But in that instant, the moment of the birth of that child, something extraordinary happened. In plain sight. Every child is special. Every child is an individual. This one was unique. Angels. Shepherds. Wise Men. You probably know the story. People who were there at the time could not miss that this birth was unique. This bay was, and is, the Son of God. This child was, and is God. Emmanuel – God With Us. 

With the arrival of this child, God, the very nature of God, the very love of God, burst into the world. A love which is massively deeper, wider and more powerful that you could ever imagine. A love which is unique. There are no words, no superlatives, which adequately describe it. It is a love which is indescribable.  This is less about your love for the baby, but more about His love for you. Until you experience it, you cannot have any real idea that this depth of love exists, but you will know it when you feel it.

The Bible says that this special, indescribable, eternal love, God’s love, is for you. The fact is, you need to experience that level of love in order to begin to understand it.

This week, try to look at that baby – who was so much more than a baby – differently. My prayer for you this Advent is that you too might look for, find and connect with the love of Jesus.

The theme of this fourth week of Advent is love. God’s Love.

Mind blown!

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

 

Advent 2025

Advent 2025: Week 3: Joy

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Advent 3: Joy
Horsham: 15th December 2025

The traditional theme of the third week of Advent is joy.

Some Churches have traditions relating to this week. For some, the third candle in the advent ring is coloured pink, and clergy wear rose coloured robes. Historically, the colour pink has been symbolic of joy.

Gaudete in Domino Semper

You may know that in some traditions, the third Sunday of advent is sometimes called Gaudete Sunday. The word ‘gaudete’ means ‘rejoice’, and the introit for the Catholic mass is “Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, gaudete”.

This is a Latin translation of Philipians 4:4.  ‘Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!’.  This word ‘rejoice’ is interesting. We don’t often use it in modern English, and I want us to reflect on what it really means. Of course it is an exhortation to be joyful. Be filled with joy. Experience joy.

This joy is not the excited, enthusiastic kind of emotion we might feel when our favourite football team scores a goal. Something different is going on here.

So Rejoice!

The Greek word is ‘chairete’ (Χαίρετε). It’s another one of those words which doesn’t translate easily into English, because the Greek meaning is far deeper than just being excited about something. It is a deep, strong emotion of gladness. It has a strong, spiritual element. It is the emotion we are to feel as we look forward to the reward which awaits us in Heaven (Matthew 5:18). It is the joy which we are to feel that our names are written in Heaven (Luke 10:20).

Advent is about anticipation of the arrival of the Messiah. The joy of advent is a deep, heartfelt emotion. It is the joy of anticipation. Anticipation of something so indescribably special that it defies description.

Yes, Christ was born and became Immanuel – God with us. More than that, Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. This is the message of the Gospel.

So rejoice. Allow yourself to experience that deep, heartfelt emotion of true joy.

Romans 15:13: 
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope!
Advent 2025

Advent 2025: Week 2: Peace

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Advent 2: Peace
Horsham: 7th December 2025

This is the second week of Advent. The theme of this week is ‘peace’

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 From Isaiah 9:6

Prince of Peace

Isaiah, writing about 800 years before the birth of Jesus, prophesied that he would carry the name ‘Prince of Peace’. Most of us know very little of the Hebrew language, but many of us are familiar with the word which is usually translated into English as ‘peace’. The Jewish word is ‘shalom’ (שָׁלֽוֹם). 

This is one of those moments when the English language is inadequate. In English, the word ‘peace’ generally means something to do with silence, being quiet, or the absence of war. The Hebrew word ‘Shalom’ means so much more than that. 

Shalom says ‘may you be blessed in every way’ It is an expression of genuine, profound, heartfelt goodwill towards the person or the household to whom it is addressed.  It’s like a prayer for the pouring out of God’s goodwill into someone’s life.

The names of Christ are profoundly important and meaningful. The  Prince of Peace, is the one who offers that extraordinary blessing of absolute goodwill in the richest, deepest and most generous way possible.

Advent Challenge

So here’s a challenge for this Advent week.  A challenge to make advent Shalom part of your life as a follower of Jesus.

The challenge is simple. Go for a walk. Wander around the shops or your neighborhood. Look around at fellow passengers on the bus or train. Wherever you go, look into the faces of the people you pass. 

As you walk through your day, pause to notice the people around you. Silently pray shalom over them—friends, strangers, even those very different from you. Desire God’s deepest blessings for each one, because all are loved by Him.

Be intentional. Be ready to speak the blessing of Shalom over those who actively follow other faiths or have no faith. Even those who have lifestyles and tastes which we don’t approve of or are in some way very different from our own. 

Why are we doing this? Because all people are loved by God, and so as his followers we are called to be ready to share His love and blessing, His shalom, with them too.

Of course, conversations are great, but as a first step, you don’t even have to speak to people. You simply need to silently pray over them as you pass each other (don’t shut your eyes.. you’ll either bump into people or fall down a pothole). Try to look at them. Try to notice them. Try to see them through the eyes of the Prince of Peace.

On that first Christmas, heaven’s heart was to pour this shalom over all mankind. Let that same heart shape your Advent journey, not just for this season, but as a way of life.

“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14, NKJV)

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

Advent 2025

Advent 2025: Week 1, Hope

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Advent 1 Hope (Prophecy)

30th November 2025

Advent is about looking forwards to the coming of Christ. The four Sundays before Christmas are called ‘Advent Sundays’. Four weeks. Four themes.

The first week of Advent is traditionally about hope. I seem to always start my first Advent blog by commenting that hope in our world is in short supply. This year doesn’t feel any different.

False Prophecy = False Hope

There are always people who will tell you that this world would be so much better if we only adopted their policies. There are always people who think that the world is only in this mess because of someone else’s policies. We have people who claim that the most fragile, in fact non-existant ceasefires are actually peace deals. People who ignore scientific data, denying climate emergency whilst forest fires burn and hurricanes and typhoons gather force, setting new records for loss of life and destruction. People who say one thing today and the complete opposite tomorrow. This is the stuff of the modern world. False prophets. False prophecies. Fake news. False hope.

2,500 years ago, the prophet Ezekiel criticised those who claimed to be prophets in Israel (Ezekiel 13). They spoke encouraging words, not because they were (as they claimed) God’s words, but because they were words, possibly well intentioned words, from their own imagination. Prophets should be dependable, but they were letting people down. False prophets. Fales prophecies. Fake news. False hope.

A prophet is judged by the efficacy of their prophecies. ‘If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed” (Deuteronomy 18:21-22).

True Prophecies = True Hope

Hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, when the people of Israel were at a very low point in exile, the prophet Isaiah said that the day would come when ‘a virgin would give birth to a son, and would call him Immanuel’  Isaiah 7:14 . Around the same time, the prophet Micah told the people of Israel that these supernatural events would happen in Bethlehem, a small and dusty town in Judah. Micah 5:2. This child, he said will be ‘one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

Some months before Christ was born, the angel told Joseph that his fiancé would give birth to a son. The boy would be called Immanuel (Matthew 1:23 which means ‘God with Us’. The angel said that the child would be called Jesus, because he would ‘save the people from their sins.‘ (Matthew 1:21)

Long after Isaiah and Micah had died, a child called Jesus was born to Mary, a young woman in Bethlehem, in circumstances which were extraordinary and surrounded by the profoundly supernatural.

When Jesus was about 33, as prophesied in Scripture by the prophet Zechariah, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and was welcomed as the Messiah. He was acclaimed in that moment as the ruler over Israel. 

Prophecy fulfilled

You get the point. Scripture tells us that these, and many other prophecies about Jesus came true. They can be trusted.

In this world of endless misinformation, we need to be careful, O so very careful, where we place our hope. False prophecy abounds.

Advent is about looking forwards to the coming of Christ. This week, I encourage you to reflect on the baby who was called Immanuel. The one who was called Jesus. The one  who would save his people from their sins. The one who was subjects of prophecies which came true.

Unto us a child is born
Unto us a Son is given.
(Isaiah 9:6)

In his birth, life, death and resurrection, Jesus was in every way a fulfilment of prophecy.

He can be trusted. Take a risk this Christmas. Put your hope in Him.

ADVENT 2025 Posts

Richard Jackson, Horsham, West Sussex, UK