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

Arise! Shine!

Magnificat!

Something to read

Mary said, 'My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.'
Luke 1:46-55 (NRSV)

Something to think about

Mary, well acquainted with songs of praise to God from the Old Testament, bursts out singing them because suddenly they have changed from abstract truths which she has known by faith to realities which have been proved in her own experience. She has discovered that:

• God is merciful. Perhaps this reassurance sprang from the fact that her cousin Elizabeth believed her story and did not turn her back on a pregnant but unmarried relative.

• God has a special concern for the humble and poor. He had bypassed the aristocracy and chosen to fulfil his purposes through her.

• God keeps his promises. No matter what past unfaithfulness has marked a person's life, God remains loyal year after year after year.

May the experience of a little girl who bubbled up with joy at the realisation that God was at work - personally, globally, eternally - allow you to greet tomorrow morning with an excitement that you had forgotten was possible.

Something to do

Find a candle and put it now in the quietest room in the house, wherever you happen to be spending Christmas. At some point during tomorrow, sneak away from the noise for two minutes, go to the room and light the candle.

Make this a moment that counts between you and Jesus. There is no need to say any words, but be thankful that there is a glorious meaning to Christmas that much of the world is unaware of. Then blow out the candle, go back and eat another mince pie, and don’t tell anyone what you’ve done!

Something to pray

Light of the World, who in the secret of the night came down from heaven to shine among the poor, kindle a flame of compassion in my heart that can never be extinguished.
Amen.

Image of the day

A six day-old baby whose delivery was attended by traditional birth attendants including Sukalata Behera, pictured. Because of training offered by Christian Aid partner Vhai in India, more babies and mothers, who have little or no access to healthcare facilities, survive childbirth.

Advent Calendar:
December 24

Christmas Eve – hang a stocking up for Father Christmas this evening, read Twas the Night Before Christmas, and track his journey from the North Pole.

Advent tip of the day:
Thinking ahead

Christian Aid wishes you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. A few suggestions for 2010.

January is the perfect time to plan ahead for Christmas 2010, buy your Christmas goods now (cards, decorations, wrapping paper and crackers) all at rock bottom ‘sale’ prices.

Remember to look out for the perfect gift during the mid-year sales and buy ahead of time. Don’t throw out the used wrapping paper, ribbons and bows, keep hold of them for next years arts and crafts.

Finally remember to recycle your Christmas cards and Christmas waste and give any unwanted gifts to charity!

Amazon New Year’s resolution idea – learning a language

It’s too late to order for Christmas, but what about those New Year’s resolutions? Why not make this year the one where you learn something new, like a foreign language? Try Berlitz Learn Spanish Premier and wow them at the tapas bar. Use the link to buy the product and raise money for Christian Aid as well.

Eco New Year’s resolution idea – Bokashi Home Compost Bin

It’s getting a bit late now to buy Christmas presents online, but what about getting the New Year’s resolutions in early? Why not make 2010 the year that you … compost waste food with a Bokashi Home Compost Bin, perhaps starting tomorrow with any left over turkey? Use the link to buy the product and raise money for Christian Aid as well.

Today in history

Today is Christmas Eve. English folk lore maintained that farm animals sank to their knees at midnight, as they had done on the first Christmas in that lowly cattle shed before the infant Jesus.

Today in 1946 saw the first live television broadcast of a church service, a candlelit service from the Grace Episcopal Church on Broadway, New York, led by Rev Louis W. Pitt.

Pope Pius XII, made a Christmas Eve radio broadcast in 1942, which was the closest he came to denouncing the Nazi extermination of the Jewish people, but still made no explicit mention of either the Nazis or Jews.

The Ku Klux Klan was founded in 1865. Starting in Pulaski, Tennessee, as a social group for Confederate veterans, it rapidly grew into a terrorist force targeting the federal government and southern African Americans. It was reincarnated in the 20th century with a stronger religious outlook, adding Jews and Catholics to its wish list and embracing conservative evangelical theology.

Circling the moon, the Apollo 8 astronauts read the creation account in Genesis 1 to the listening world today in 1968.