Rome may not have been built in a day but yesterday Bethlehem was, at least in miniature! Armed with glue, glitter, gravel, bark chippings, crepe paper, more glue, cloth, plaster, paper plates, even more glue, sand, toilet rolls, stones, wood and lots of glue, the children, young people and adults of St. Joseph's all came together to prepare for Jesus's birth at Christmas in what was a most enjoyable way. We must also take time to thank all of the adults who helped out, especially to Jim for his beautiful artwork. Having finished our 'present to the Parish', we spent some time in prayer, reflecting on what we would like Jesus to give us this Christmas and reading the following poem:
you won't need a special star-
I'm no longer just in Bethlehem,
I'm right there where you are.
You may not be aware of me
amid the celebrations-
you'll have to look beyond the shops
with all their decorations.
But if you take a moment
from your list of things to do
and listen to your heart, you'll find
I'm waiting there for you.
You're the one I want to be with,
you're the reason that I came
and you'll find me in the stillness
as I'm whispering your name.
"Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
