Nicholas - 6 December

Collect
Eternal God,
In your great love
You gave to your servant Nicholas
A perpetual name for deeds of kindness on land and sea.
Grant that your Church may never cease to work
For the happiness of children,
The safety of sailors,
The relief of the poor
And the help of those who are tossed
By tempests of doubt or grief;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
One God, now and for ever.  Amen.

1 John - Chapter: 4
My dear friends, we must love each other. Love comes from God, and when we love each other, it shows that we have been given new life. We are now God's children, and we know him.  God is love, and anyone who doesn’t love others has never known him.  God showed his love for us when he sent his only Son into the world to give us life.  Real love isn’t our love for God, but his love for us. God sent his Son to be the sacrifice by which our sins are forgiven. Dear friends, since God loved us this much, we must love each other. 
No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is truly in our hearts. 
God has given us his Spirit. That is how we know that we are one with him, just as he is one with us.   God sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. We saw his Son and are now telling others about him.

1 John 4:7-14 Contemporary English Version
Copyright © American Bible Society 

Mark - Chapter: 10
Some people brought their children to Jesus so that he could bless them by placing his hands on them. But his disciples told the people to stop bothering him. 
When Jesus saw this, he became angry and said, “Let the children come to me! Don’t try to stop them. People who are like these little children belong to the kingdom of God.   I promise you that you cannot get into God's kingdom, unless you accept it the way a child does.”  Then Jesus took the children in his arms and blessed them by placing his hands on them. 

Mark 10:13-16 Contemporary English Version
Copyright © American Bible Society

 

St Nicholas

Festivals of Light