Thursday 4th December 2025
Fran Selkirk
“Blessed God, Israel’s God, the one and only wonder-working God! Blessed always, his blazing glory! All the earth brims with his glory.”
Psalm 72:18-19 (The Message)
Extravagant love
What amazing words, as we move through the Season of Advent, towards the glorious anniversary of Christ’s birth. God’s amazing gift of his Son, born into human existence, into a rough and tough world. God’s generosity, his love transformed into human form. A gift to us!
As I thought and prayed, I was reminded of David Day’s reflection in A Preaching Workbook (1998) on the feeding of the 5,000. He describes the abundant, inexhaustible supply of bread, the extravagant cornucopia. The bread, like God’s love in sending his Son, is prodigal, spendthrift and lavish. We celebrate this love, year by year, as we wait through Advent to welcome Jesus at Christmas.
The author reminds us of all the crumbs that were to be gathered together after the feast, so that nothing was wasted, thus confirming God’s love for humanity with its broken people, those who turn away from God, those who become weary, those who fear they are left behind.
But God’s love is for everyone. He forgives us, he makes us new, he allows us to worship him, to enter his service, to share our talents, to offer our thanks – we are enabled to share: God’s Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. Extravagant, blazing God! All we are called to do, is ask God into our lives, so that we might know the earth brimming with God’s Glory!
In this Advent season, we wait and pray for the world to know the truth of God’s presence. For his truth to be perceived within all the hype and festivities of the secular world and for the spiritual truth of Jesus Christ’s birth, to blaze in glory!
Shall we pray?
Lord, as Advent moves on and Christmas approaches, may we know your closeness. Open our lives to you, and share your love with others, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Fran Selkirk is an elder and Reader at Dryburgh District Churches.
Thinking it through:
How will you share the promised Hope of Advent, with its ongoing promise for salvation of the world?
How will you share the Peace, Joy and Love, that Advent prepares to celebrate at Christmas?
Who will you share Christmas with? And will God’s glory blaze in your celebrations?