Advent - Getting ready

the new
day.
"Children." said Papa pig. "I have an announcement to make."
"What can this be?" Horace Maurice and Doris asked themselves. "Could it
be that they’re going to move out and give us more room?"
"From today." announced Papa pig. "You Doris and Horace and Maurice are
to go out into the world. On your own - fend for yourself."
"What!!" screamed the three pigs -"Us go out into the world - like get a
reality check - there’s a big bad world out there - there is inflation
- traffic jams - robberies and violence - and whata bout the Big bad
wolf? The wide world is no place for a self respecting pig. No we’re
staying put."
The cold clank of the sty door left a hollow sound as Horace and Doris
and Maurice set out to seek their fortune - we don’t have time to tell
you the whole story of straw, stick and brick nor of how they
eventually built firm brick houses and raised litters of many more
children but we would like to tell you how they used to meet in the
barn every Sunday for a celebration -
But something even more amazing began to happen when they moved out
there was so much less mud around that things dried out and they washed
more and well who they really were began to emerge - they weren’t pigs
after all but sheep - and once everyone realised that they were sheep
not pigs well the shepherd came and looked after them and when they were
doing what they were meant to be doing that big bad wolf kept his
distance a whole lot more because well he was dead scared of the
shepherd.
You should have went to those Sunday celebrations in the barn I guess
you could say that they lived Happily ever after.

Isaiah chapter 9 verses 1- 7

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This is advent season in the church ADVENT (Lat. adventus, an arrival), the beginning of the ecclesiastical year, is the liturgical season preparatory to Christmas. In the Roman and derived calendars it begins on the Sunday nearest St. Andrew’s Day (Nov. 30).

Advent to me has a sense of expectation excitement about it - something is going to happen.
This week I had the privledge of being involved in an incredible event - a friend, a man in his mid fifties came and told me he was expected to die in about two months.
He has cancer - yet on Friday night he threw a party for all his friends - mixed in with the tears and sadness of his family is the sense of anticipation - yes perhaps even excitement at the rich inheritance he has in Christ - he decided to throw a party knowing that there will now be a wall between him and his friends should he die.
At his funeral he wanted the exciting news about Jesus told to all who would listen.
Why?
Because my friend is going to be with Jesus only because he has experienced first hand the incredible reality that is predicted in verse 2 of Isaiah chapter 9.
the people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.
This man for many years was living in the land of the shadow of death but then for him a light dawned upon him and ever since he has been telling folk about the good news that Jesus Christ had taken his place - He has been telling them with his lips and with his actions and now there is a real possibility that he could be going to live with him - for ever and soon.
You see for my friend the words - "for to us a child is born, to us a son