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

Arise! Shine!

Seek the Lord

Something to read

See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.
Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts;
let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Isaiah 55:5-7 (NRSV)

Something to think about

Isaiah sends his call out. Not just to the forlorn generation that is captive at the time in Babylon. Not just to the Jewish people. The call of God goes beyond that to the people of all nations. He has a plan so glorious that it will attract not only those who have historically worshipped him, but people from all times and places.

The plan of God is to draw near to humanity. To make his presence so obvious that he can easily be found. No wickedness is so great that it will block the path to God. His heart is set on forgiving. No thought is so evil that it will disqualify a person. God has made a decision to have mercy. Seize the opportunity while it is there. Return to the Lord - confessing, receiving, changing.

For a Christian the picture of God drawing near, making himself plain, calling people away from wrongdoing and offering endless forgiveness is familiar. It is in the person of Jesus that we see him doing all these things.

Something to do

Learn one of the phrases of today's Bible reading by heart along with its reference: 'Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Isaiah 55:6'. Who knows when the memory of it will direct you to do the right thing at a crucial moment!

Something to pray

O Lord our God, grant us grace to desire you with a whole heart,
so that desiring we may seek and find you;
and so finding you, may love you;
and so loving you may hate those sins which separate us from you,
for the sake of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury (1033 - 1109)

Today in history

Today in 1273, St Thomas Aquinas gave up theology. After eight years’ work on his magisterial Summa Theologia, he went in to mass, had an unexpected encounter with God and refused to write another word.

The Anabaptist leader and apocalyptic prophet Hans Hut died, today in 1527, when his prison cell accidentally caught fire. To add insult to, well, death, he was taken out and burned publicly the following day.

Ireland was split into an independent Catholic republic in the south and a Protestant province of the United Kingdom in the north today in 1921.

Cliff Richard was confirmed in St Paul’s, Finchley, London, today in 1967.

In the Middle Ages boy bishops were inaugurated on this day for a 22-day reign.

Image of the day

In Honduras, seven year-old Marbella is HIV positive. At Christmas she asked Father Christmas to bring her a bike. Photo: Christian Aid/Annabel Davis

Advent Calendar: December 6

Stuck for something to do? Check out Christian Aid’s Christmas Events webpage to find out what is going on locally.

Advent tip of the day:
Driving home for Christmas

Save money on public transport or petrol this Christmas not to mention saving carbon emissions too. Join pickuppal.com to arrange your lift back home. You can offer to drive or simply sit back and relax while someone else does the hard work.

You might even make some new friends. Alternatively why not ask around your friends, post a notice on your Facebook account or put an ad up at work to see if anyone is heading back your way.

Present Aid gift idea – a football referee for £43

Present Aid – gifts that count. The Kick HIV is not only is a great football competition for young people in Sierra Leone, but also is an opportunity for HIV/AIDS education. However, it needs a referee – give one as a gift this Christmas. 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 – Gardener’s Hand Renewal Gift Set

Spoil the gardener in your life with the Crabtree & Evelyn Gardener’s Hand Renewal Gift Set packed into a useful gardening bag. Use the link to buy the gift and raise money for Christian Aid as well.

Eco gift idea – Re:Vinyl Coasters

Get a bit retro with Re:Vinyl Coasters made from the centres of old vinyl records. Use the link to buy the gift and raise money for Christian Aid as well.