Sunday 3rd December - #Pause for Advent 1

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chartres-051_-_f2_-_Resurrection_-_Noli_me_tangere.jpg

As I mentioned previously, I'm joining a group of bloggers each writing a series of four Advent reflections, one for each of the four Sundays before Christmas. (Go to "Tracing Rainbows", and look in the top right hand corner to find the other bloggers)

My starting point is going to be Luke's Gospel. I'm part of a group following The Bible Society's "read a book of the Bible every month club" - have a look at their website to find out about it - and this is the group's current choice.

Now that's a big problem for me. I don't want to be reading about the death of "Baby Jesus" just before Christmas. Indeed, I can hardly bear to read the Passion Narratives in any of the gospels at any time.

Last night I had a brainwave! I'm going to start at the happy ending - the Resurrection - and work backwards, arriving at the Nativity part on Christmas Eve.

That means that this week, from today, I'm going to read through chapters 24 to the end. Starting here;

Luke 24New International Version (NIV) (gateway bible)

Jesus Has Risen

24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.

Hence the picture at the top of this post - "Noli me tangere" - "Do not touch me".

Have I missed the point of the title of this series; "Pause for Advent"? 
Well, no; the plan is to take  some time to sit and reflect on some aspect of this part of the Gospel when I've opened to door on my Advent calendar. This might be a good thing to listen to as well; "I know that my redeemer liveth" from Handel's "Messiah", sung by the choir of Kings

Next week's "read" will be Chapters 22 - 24 - the death of Christ, and in the third week it will be from from Chapter 3, Jesus as an adult. 

Which leaves the beginning of the whole story for Christmas Eve. Perfect timing.