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

Arise! Shine!

The Spirit has anointed me

Something to read

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour, and the day of vengeance of our God.
Isaiah 61:1-2a (NRSV)

Something to think about

Here’s a puzzle! Who is the ‘me’ speaking in these verses? He or she is a character who appears many times in Isaiah, and is often given the name ‘the Servant’.

In one sense it is Isaiah himself, with a message to the Jews in captivity in Babylon that the time would come when the ruins of Jerusalem would be rebuilt and the prisoners would go home.

At another level it is the whole historical nation of Israel, commissioned to proclaim that the blessings which were once bestowed on her were now to be extended so that all the nations of the world should know that God favours humankind.

Christians have no difficulty identifying these characteristics with Jesus, who quoted Isaiah’s words many centuries later in a synagogue in Nazareth and claimed that they referred to him. (He left out the phrase about God’s vengeance, as if he knew that the task would not be completed in him, and that there would be a future day on which God would fully and finally step into the world to see justice done.)

But is it possible that ‘me’ refers to me! Each Christian has a call to be a servant to the world in all the ways mentioned, filled with the Spirit of God just as Jesus was. Can you recognise yourself in any of those phrases?

Something to do

Somewhere among your Christmas decorations place a symbol that you intend to be a servant to the neediest people of the world, just a Jesus was. It could be a photograph, a candle, a plant, a verse from the Bible or an image of Jesus born in humility. Let it remind you in the week between now and Christmas of the true context in which we celebrate.

Something to pray

Brother, let me be your servant, let me be as Christ to you;
Pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.
I will hold the Christ-light for you in the night-time of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you, speak the peace you long to hear.
I will weep when you are weeping, when you laugh I'll laugh with you;
I will share your joy and sorrow 'til we've seen this journey through.
Richard Gillard, from the hymn 'Brother let me be your servant'

Image of the day

In Gaza City, a mother and her daughter have a check-up in the mobile dental clinic run by NECC for the poor communities of Darrag and Suaja'ia. Photo: Christian Aid / Elaine Duigenan

Advent Calendar: December 17

Have you decorated the tree yet? Look out for recycled CD and recycled circuit board tree decorations, or baubles made from elephant dung. To be really eco, use last year’s decorations, or make your own, for example, pom-poms from spare wool, woven or looped paper chains from coloured magazines and leaflets, and cardboard parcels wrapped in last year’s wrapping paper.

Advent tip of the day:
Stocking fillers

Don’t buy Christmas stockings for the kids, let them make their own. Use an old sock or pillow case and lots of creativity (try glitter pens, beads, buttons, tinsel, glue etc).

Fill the stocking with small inexpensive presents such as an orange, a bar of chocolate, some pretty hair slides, and save the more exciting present for under the Christmas tree.

Amazon gift idea – Monopoly City

Fill the hours between Christmas lunch and Christmas cake with Monopoly City – build 3D houses, industrial complexes and skyscrapers and bankrupt your family (if Santa hasn’t already…) Tomorrow is the last day for UK free delivery with Amazon. Use the link to buy the gift and raise money for Christian Aid as well.

Eco gift idea – Jar Tops

A great gift for an ardent reuser and recycler – Jar Tops to convert food jars into jugs, shakers and more. Use the link to buy the gift and raise money for Christian Aid as well. Today is the last day for ordering standard delivery from Nigel’s Eco Store before Christmas.

Today in history

Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol today in 1843.

Ludwig van Beethoven was baptised on this day in 1770.

It is St Olympias’s Day, a wealthy widow who gave vast amounts to the poor and became a deaconness in Constantinople. She is chiefly celebrated for making things difficult for John Chrystostom’s successor after he was deposed.