The following Bible passage, reflection, prayer and action are taken from Surefish's Daily Readings, which can be found here

Arise! Shine!

Come, all you thirsty!

Something to read

Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money on that which is not bread, and your labour for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.
Isaiah 55:1-4 (NRSV)

Something to think about

Isaiah is in a market place: 'Roll up! Roll up! Come buy and eat!' But it is the most bizarre market imaginable - tangible things like bread and water are being given away free, but abstract things cost enormous amounts of money. Isaiah asks a question which he could equally ask of this generation as Christmas shopping gathers pace: 'Why on earth are you spending so much money in a quest for something which will never satisfy you?' Instead he directs us to what is genuinely important - being in covenant with God. When that happens we come to know the 'steadfast, sure love' which God brings - the love he had for King David, and which is now offered to 'all the peoples'.

These are the true values of God's Kingdom: bread and water freely available to those who need it; priceless love for those who have been disappointed by what money can buy. .

Something to do

Hawa Amadu has to walk a mile to fetch water for her family in the slum districts of Accra, Ghana. It costs her about 40 pence per day. That is about the same as a London family, but of course her income is a fraction of what people earn in England. 'Sometimes I will go without food so my grandchildren can have water,' she says. 'Soon we will have to drink air.'

Supported by governments like that of the UK, the World Bank has made it a condition of receiving aid that Ghana allows foreign companies to bid for the right to supply water. But as the price Hawa pays for water rises, what will happen to the profits? Will they be invested in bringing water to poor people whose life would be vastly improved by being connected to a mains supply? Or will they go to shareholders in rich countries?

Something to pray

Lord God, let those who are thirsty come to the waters and find there refreshment - not people who are seeking to profit from their need. Amen.

Today in history

Today in 1970, Judy Collins hit the charts with her cover version of John Newton’s Amazing Grace, where she was to stay in the UK for a record 86 weeks.

Prohibition was scrapped in the USA today in 1933, the first time an amendment to the constitution had been repealed. During prohibition sales of sacramental wine – excluded from the ban – increased by 800,000 gallons a year.

The poet Christina Rossetti was born today in 1830. her evangelical upbringing influenced her enough to make her paste paper strips over the anti-religious parts of Swinburne's poem Atalanta in Calydon, and refuse to see Wagner's Parsifal, because of its pagan mythology.

Image of the day

Thanks to the skills learnt with IECA in Angola, Tabita Benir de Jesus now works at home baking cakes and making party arrangements for weddings and other celebrations, such as Christmas. Photo: Christian Aid/Adrian Arbib

Advent Calendar: December 5

Today is International Volunteer Day – if you would like to volunteer over Christmas, various charities are seeking volunteers over the festive season. Try searching Timebank or Volunteering England for something local, check out your local church or library for opportunities, contact Cards for Good Causes, or if you are in London, volunteer for Crisis Christmas 2008.

Advent tip of the day:
Eat, drink and merrily save £s

Save money on food and drink this Christmas by encouraging your guests to contribute. Suggest each guest brings a little something; starters, dessert, nibbles, cheeses or wine. Take a list of what you need to the supermarket and stick to it, don’t go over your budget and look out for bargain offers like ‘buy one get one free’.

If your family is small, consider buying chicken instead of turkey – it’s cheaper and smaller, so they’ll be less leftover! Use up the supermarket loyalty points you’ve been collecting all year, look out for ‘loyalty’ offers and where possible buy local or fair trade!

Don’t forget, more and more stores are starting to charge for plastic bags so take your own, it’s good for your purse and even better for the environment.

Presentaid gift of the day - a wormery for £7

Present Aid – gifts that count. All gardeners love worms. Give a gift of a wormery to marginalised women in India – the worms will help fertilise the soil and allow the women to grow food for their families and sell the surplus to get a precious income.

If you want to hand over a gift on Christmas Day, add in a Christian Aid Calendar (or get one free if you spend over £40). Use the link to go to the Present Aid site and then search for the gift you want to give.

Amazon gift idea – the Poirot Complete Collection

You can never have too much Poirot. Poirot – Complete Collection includes all 61 episodes on 28 DVDs. Use the link to buy the gift and raise money for Christian Aid as well.

Eco gift idea – Dr Organic Pomegranate Soap

A nice little stocking filler – Dr Organic Pomegranate Soap complete with real pomegranate pieces. Use the link to buy the gift and raise money for Christian Aid as well.