Significance of Jesus’ swaddling clothes
21 Dec 2018
Rabbi Jason Sobel recently spoke on the significance of baby Jesus being placed in swaddling clothes after his birth, as announced by the angel to the shepherds. He believes these shepherds weren’t ordinary shepherds. He believes the lambs they were raising needed to be without blemish, because they would be offered as sacrifices in the temple. So these ‘Levitical shepherds’ would wrap the lambs in swaddling clothes to protect them. In that case, swaddling would have been an important connection point for the shepherds. ‘What did they see? A baby born in the same place that the Passover lambs were born, swaddled like a Passover lamb, pointing to the fact that Messiah was the Lamb of God who would take over the sins of the world.’
Intercessor Focus: New Year, new politics
21 Dec 2018
Pray for truthful accountable reporting by the media in the coming year. Pray for reporters and researchers to be more prepared to speak out without favour or bias. Ask God to grace our political news presenters and bloggers with heavenly wisdom and vision in all that they say and record. Bless and pray protection over all our politicians and their families, who have had to live and work under incredible pressure in this season of change. May God give them peace as they step back from battles and into Christmas. May each of them find recuperation and rest, and may unity replace diversity in the Cabinet in 2019. Ask God to give our MPs the humility and insights needed to make accurate choices and may they be delivered from the temptation to work for personal platforms or party politics (Matthew 6:13).
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, wants politicians to look to the Church to learn lessons in kindness. He expressed disappointment in some of the dialogue coming from Parliament in recent weeks. ‘One thing which inspires me about our churches is a simple word - kindness. The Church does kindness so well - treating each other with civility and respect - and I wish we politicians learnt from that. We don't even have the patience to hear someone else's argument, giving people the benefit of doubt.’ Mr Khan was speaking to approximately 10,000 from the London Carols event at Wembley Arena. He thanked the Christian community for the ‘huge contribution’ they make to London.
2019: small businesses
21 Dec 2018
As Brexit negotiations hit critical stages, the Federation of Small Businesses has published a guide which outlines the main outcomes and describes what good contingency plans should cover. Pray for our business leaders to have wisdom and clarity of vision to devise such plans. Ask God to give leaders in agriculture, fishing, manufacturing, engineering, and industrial developments the insights to deal successfully with any unexpected Brexit scenarios. We can ask God to give heaven’s direction as they consider risks and opportunities. Brexit will affect the rights of EU citizens living in the UK, and of UK citizens living in EU countries. Pray for justice to reign for individuals and families caught in this shifting situation.
2019: potential agriculture labour shortage
21 Dec 2018
Machines can replace human hands in some farming but not when harvesting many types of fruit or vegetables. Growers rely heavily on people for all these jobs in season and out of season. It might be possible to reduce seasonal labour by investing in mechanisation for some crops; however hand picking is currently the only option for quality of produce to meet consumer demand. Just 1% of seasonal farm workers are British. Most come from Eastern Europe, but with the end of free movement, growers could have to look even further for labour. Africa, Asia? Already, labour shortages have left produce rotting in fields and polytunnels. As Britain prepares for free movement of people to end, farmers are anxiously saying, ‘Who will pick the crops next spring? Brits won’t do it.’
Pray for our prodigals
21 Dec 2018
Tens of thousands of people have prodigal family members. The dictionary defines a prodigal as extravagant, a big spender. The word describes the son in the well-known parable: does it also describe the Father, who threw a great extravagant feast in honour of to his errant son? You might empathise with him; he loves his son but has not seen him in many months and is worried about his adventure in the big, wide, often dangerous world. Fathers, mothers and siblings of prodigals know the deep ache as they pray for them to come back to Jesus. Prodigals are on God’s heart. Ask Him to prompt families to know when to open a reconciling conversation, and when to remain silent. May there be strengthened relationships so that people draw closer together.
Homeless people's deaths up 24%
21 Dec 2018
597 homeless people died in England and Wales in 2017, compared to 482 in 2013. 84% of this figure were men, and over 50% were because of drug poisoning, liver disease caused by alcohol abuse, or suicide (also known as the diseases of despair). The average age of death was 44 for men and 42 for women. Homeless charities say pressure on their services is increasing. The director of Shelter called the deaths a source of national shame, ‘a consequence of a housing system which fails too many people’. The CEO of Crisis called on the Government to fix the root causes of homelessness - building more social homes and a welfare system to support people who fall on hard times.
Drones cause chaos at Gatwick
21 Dec 2018
Gatwick Airport reopened on 21 December, after drones caused it to shut down for 40 hours. Thousands of passengers remain stranded, while police have not yet found the operator, who could be an environmental activist. The airport could not operate while the drones were in flight in case they hit and damaged a plane. There is no evidence at present that the disruption was terror-related. Transport secretary Chris Grayling said the situation was unprecedented, and ‘lessons need to be learned’. In 2013 there were no incidents involving drones, whereas in 2018 there have been well over 100. In June a drone came within ten feet of a Virgin Airways plane carrying 260 people. Mr Grayling said the Government was looking to go further with drone control, including considering age-limits for users.