1 DEC
December 25
Christ is Born!
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”
Luke 2:14
Reflection
“As God welcomes us to share the life of the Kingdom so we seek to share that welcome with those whom we meet or who come to us – in humility, generosity and compassion.”
One of my favourite memories of Christmas past comes from the time that my wife and I spent living in Africa. Our Christmas morning worship was followed by a “family meal” which consisted of rice and chicken stew. The whole church gathered on the porch of our house – all the men crowded round one very large bowl of rice and stew, and all the women and children gathered round a second very large bowl. We ate with our hands – rolling a ball of rice before lifting it to our mouths. It was truly a shared meal!
However you are celebrating this Christmas, I hope you will remember that there are many different Christmas traditions and practices around the world. Different cultures express hospitality in different ways – but all of them are a reflection of the welcome that we receive from God. And at the table in heaven, all cultures will be gathered round the throne of the Lamb.
Martyn Snow Bishop of Leicester
Bishop Protector TSSF European Province
Reflective Action
SHARE THE JOY
Share a moment of joy with someone –
whether through a meal, a call, or an act of kindness
Franciscan Quote
He seems to lick his lips whenever he uses the expression “Jesus” or “babe from Bethlehem” tasting the word on his hungry palate and savouring the sweetness of the word. The gifts of the Almighty are multiplied there and a virtuous man sees a wondrous vision. For the man saw a little child lying lifeless in the manger and he saw the holy man of God approach the child and waken him from a deep sleep. Nor is this vision unfitting, since in the hearts of many the child Jesus has been given over to oblivion.
(The Life of St Francis by Thomas of Celano, the First Book Chapter XXX, 86)
Prayer
May this journey create space
in our hearts, homes, and
communities for Christ.
Have a blessed Christmas!
CULTURAL insight
SOLOMON ISLANDS
Each year, the Melanesian Brotherhood go on mission for Christmas, travelling from village to village across the Solomon Islands—Ysabel, Ngela, Guadalcanal, Malaita, Makira, and even distant Temotu.
Up to 50 Brothers and novices are joined by the Sisters of Melanesia to lead worship, sing, and perform powerful nativity plays. Villages welcome them with songs and flower garlands. In the evening, the leaf chapels fill for Evensong, followed by welcome speeches and joyful anticipation.
A stable is built in the village square or chapel, and the nativity begins – complete with carols, dancing angels, and a village mother offering her newborn as the baby Jesus. Shepherds bring live chickens or goats. A fearsome King Herod is carried in on a sedan chair, greeted with hissing and laughter. The carols continue until the Midnight Mass, where incense clouds rise and a Gloria is danced with joy.
On Christmas Day, everyone shares a feast on long strips of banana leaves: fish, taro, yam, kumera, and cabbage cooked on hot stones, followed by cassava pudding in coconut cream. There are no presents—but the birth of Christ is celebrated with deep joy, music, and community.
Revd Richard Carter
Nazareth Community
See, I am doing a new thing !
“Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”
Luke 2:14
developmental markers
week 40
In the womb
- The baby is considered full term and now weighs around 6.5 to 8 pounds (2.9–3.6 kg) and measures 19 to 21 inches (48–53 cm).
- Lungs are fully developed, the brain continues rapid growth, and the immune system is strengthened with the mother’s antibodies.
- Most babies are head-down, ready for birth, with flexible skull bones to ease the journey.
- Movements are smaller but still present.
- The baby is physically ready, and spiritually,this is a moment of hidden promise, vulnerability, and profound mystery.
in the mother
- The body is preparing actively: the cervix softens and dilates, and the baby drops lower into the pelvis.
- Breathing may ease, but pressure on the bladder and back increases.
- Fatigue, discomfort, and emotional fluctuations are common.
- Many experience a “nesting” instinct—an urgent energy to prepare for the new arrival.
- Hormonal shifts intensify emotions and bonding readiness.
reflection
Mary’s long journey of carrying the Christ Child draws to its final hours. The hidden work is complete. The time is near.
She feels every ache, every movement growing smaller as space runs out. The One she has carried in mystery is ready to be born in light.
The threshold holds both the ache of waiting and the wonder of what is coming. Mary does not rush this moment. She reathes. She trusts.
She waits in surrender, holding the promise that God’s new thing is about to spring forth. This waiting is not passive.
It is rich with holy tension, hope, and quiet readiness.
Mary teaches us that birth, life, hope, new beginnings, happen not in our timing, but in God’s.
And so we, like her, stand on the edge of something new, called to trust the One who brings all things to life.
wonderings:
I wonder how Mary held the tension of waiting, knowing the promise was about to arrive.
I wonder what “new thing” God is bringing to birth in me, even as I wait in the unknown.
Journaling Prompts
If you keep an Advent Journal, here are some ideas you could write about;
Tonight when all is quiet spend some time looking back over your journalling prompts or things that you have highlighted in the text.
Give thanks for the God who has travelled with you through Advent.
What has happened in the space you have made?
How have you, like Mary, released Christ into the world?
Pray for our Franciscan family throughout the world.
Header Image:
December 1, 2025
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