As I sit at my computer, the red sandstone of the tenement opposite glows a warm hue in the afternoon sun, and the chimney pots stand stark agasint a clear blue winter sky - it is a beautiful day here in Glasgow.

Despite the best efforts of the snow, the bus companies and coucil gritting department we filled our cosy back room with people (about 16 I think, I didn't count) for our first lunch time reflection for Advent.  It was a lovely space amidst all the busyness of the day, time to slow down and focus beyond ourselves.

The Promise of Advent is some material linked to the Millennium Development Goals, using some stunning art work by the artist He Qi.  I have to admit that I altered the resource material a bit to fit the flow of what we wanted, but it seemed to work, and prompted some very moving and wide-ranging prayer for the most vulnerable people, some people knew personally, others we know of as statistics.

We shared a lovely lunch and lots of good conversations before people braved the cold to go about the rest of their daily business, and we collected a useful sum for Christian Aid.

The promise of our Advent is good, as, together, we journey towards Christmas.