<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Crefftau Beca]]></title><description><![CDATA[CrefftauBeca]]></description><link>https://crefftaubeca.wixsite.com/crefftaubeca/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2026 09:53:07 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://crefftaubeca.wixsite.com/crefftaubeca/cy/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[The Life of Jesus Advent Calendar - Day 24: Pentecost]]></title><description><![CDATA[One of my original aims in creating this advent calendar was to help show children the relevance of Christmas to the wider Gospel narrative, and to our lives today. I always therefore intended to end with Pentecost, as a way of saying, “it’s over to you now.”]]></description><link>https://crefftaubeca.wixsite.com/crefftaubeca/post/advent-calendar-day-24</link><guid isPermaLink="false">694b5785737735fb3c18f9cb</guid><pubDate>Wed, 24 Dec 2025 08:25:31 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5bd4e6_794f54a5748b4c42873312d1a86e7293~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>CrefftauBeca</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Life of Jesus Advent Calendar - Day 23: The Ascension]]></title><description><![CDATA[The disciples had only just been reunited with Jesus, and now he was leaving them again! I imagine they might have felt slightly dismayed and confused by this - in Acts 1 verse 6 they ask Jesus if he will now restore the kingdom to Israel, so they must have been expecting Jesus stick around on earth for a bit. But God had a plan for sharing the good news beyond just Jerusalem, and he was going to use these fallible followers of Christ to do it. ]]></description><link>https://crefftaubeca.wixsite.com/crefftaubeca/post/advent-calendar-day-23</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6949f4193167c574f9b84dd6</guid><pubDate>Tue, 23 Dec 2025 02:23:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5bd4e6_47724f754f7e41959bdacf123064068b~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>CrefftauBeca</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Life of Jesus Advent Calendar - Day 22: The Resurrection]]></title><description><![CDATA[Imagine you're Mary Magdalene, walking to the tomb of her closest friend on the first day of the week. You're accompanied by Mary the mother of James, who also saw this place where Jesus's body was lain, and Salome, who witnessed Jesus dying on the cross. You've brought spices with you, to anoint his body, because there was no time to do so when his body was placed in the tomb. ]]></description><link>https://crefftaubeca.wixsite.com/crefftaubeca/post/advent-calendar-day-22</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6948bd3f6cebe7424b32c577</guid><pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2025 04:58:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5bd4e6_5e8ec218e7d74d0183edddc6d55728d8~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>CrefftauBeca</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Life of Jesus Advent Calendar - Day 21: The Death and Burial of Jesus]]></title><description><![CDATA[It was tricky to know how to portray Jesus's Crucifixion on one of my stockings. It's such a monumental scene I just don't think I could have done it justice. I opted therefore to show the moment Jesus's body was carried away to be buried. You can of course use the templates to portray this scene however you would like, according to what you read in the Bible. ]]></description><link>https://crefftaubeca.wixsite.com/crefftaubeca/post/advent-calendar-day-21</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69461dec238be523262c79d1</guid><pubDate>Sun, 21 Dec 2025 08:47:26 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5bd4e6_346ae0ba85554870b7b04744df5078a2~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>CrefftauBeca</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Life of Jesus Advent Calendar - Day 20: Jesus is Betrayed and Arrested]]></title><description><![CDATA[It's incredible to see the submission of Jesus to his Father's will in Matthew 26:47-56. He knows what Judas has come to do, and does not resist. Though he has disciples willing to fight for him, he tells them to put their swords away. Even though he knows he could call to his Father to send more than twelve legions angels to protect him, he chooses not to. He remains calm and steady, while those around him fight or flee.]]></description><link>https://crefftaubeca.wixsite.com/crefftaubeca/post/advent-calendar-day-20</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69461022f882f7cd7d7fa7ff</guid><pubDate>Sat, 20 Dec 2025 03:31:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5bd4e6_df8e26e49c984a88ba1c835890f2d99e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>CrefftauBeca</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Life of Jesus Advent Calendar - Day 19: Jesus Washes the Disciples' Feet]]></title><description><![CDATA[The scene portrayed in John 13:1-30 always invokes a sense of wonder in me. Jesus, God himself, the King of kings, kneels down to wash the grimy feet of his disciples, including the one who is about to betray him. It is almost impossible for me to fathom such humility from the one through whom the world was made. On the very night when his suffering is about to begin, Jesus does not demand worship or praise, but stoops to serve. ]]></description><link>https://crefftaubeca.wixsite.com/crefftaubeca/post/advent-calendar-day-19</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69437c25a79f8c9ba2adfeb2</guid><pubDate>Fri, 19 Dec 2025 03:59:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5bd4e6_c275af1a376242479152a392f02bc8e4~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>CrefftauBeca</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Life of Jesus Advent Calendar - Day 18: Jesus Cleanses the Temple]]></title><description><![CDATA[Mark 11:15–19 might come as a bit of a surprise to us. This man, angrily flipping tables in the temple, does not immediately fit our picture of the gentle and humble Jesus, does it? What was it, then, that made Jesus so angry?]]></description><link>https://crefftaubeca.wixsite.com/crefftaubeca/post/advent-calendar-day-18</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69435018af6ab01fbdcf9ceb</guid><pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2025 01:33:39 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5bd4e6_219e87178abd413b9c39d5a517dbb8a8~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>CrefftauBeca</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Life of Jesus Advent Calendar - Day 17: Jesus Enters Jerusalem]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jesus presents himself as God's true king, riding on a colt, signalling humility, not military might. Some in the crowd may have rejoiced to see Jesus coming as their Messiah, the one who would liberate them from their sins. A great many of the crowd however thought and hoped Jesus would be the one to liberate Israel from the grasp of Rome. Others may have just been caught up in the excitement! ]]></description><link>https://crefftaubeca.wixsite.com/crefftaubeca/post/advent-calendar-day-17</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6942233e031fac87aaa332ea</guid><pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 2025 04:58:39 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5bd4e6_7c58c3c8b83b493ab290f43788d30e48~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>CrefftauBeca</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Life of Jesus Advent Calendar - Day 16: Jesus is Anointed by Mary]]></title><description><![CDATA[Can you imagine worshipping someone so deeply that you would give up your most expensive possession, and do so in a way that risks public shame? That is precisely what Mary does in John 12:1-8. She takes a pound of costly ointment, pours it on Jesus’s feet, and wipes them with her hair - an act of extraordinary humility and devotion. ]]></description><link>https://crefftaubeca.wixsite.com/crefftaubeca/post/advent-calendar-day-16</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6940c71724d4646829cb2296</guid><pubDate>Tue, 16 Dec 2025 04:47:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5bd4e6_c415c2e55eb842248edda02e26167df8~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>CrefftauBeca</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Life of Jesus Advent Calendar - Day 15: Jesus Raises Lazarus]]></title><description><![CDATA[In my opinion, John 11:1-44 is one of the passages where we see most clearly the dual fully-God and fully-man nature of Christ. We see his humanity in his earthly relationships and his genuine friendships. Martha and Mary knew they could rely on Jesus, and so they sent for him when Lazarus became unwell. Scripture tells us, "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus." Jesus did not just minister to people; he lived among them, shared life with them, and truly loved them.]]></description><link>https://crefftaubeca.wixsite.com/crefftaubeca/post/advent-calendar-day-15</link><guid isPermaLink="false">693f6b4f5e4dba941729f828</guid><pubDate>Mon, 15 Dec 2025 03:31:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5bd4e6_8cfd599b99a040b1a04fbdd8e7d9f998~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>CrefftauBeca</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Life of Jesus Advent Calendar - Day 14: The Transfiguration]]></title><description><![CDATA[I sometimes find myself thinking that I wish I could see Jesus face to face, that my faith would be so much stronger if I could just see him in person.



But then I read in Scripture that, even though the disciples spent so much time with Jesus, they were still slow to believe in the true salvation that he was offering.]]></description><link>https://crefftaubeca.wixsite.com/crefftaubeca/post/advent-calendar-day-14</link><guid isPermaLink="false">693e7930d8215235655a8bcb</guid><pubDate>Sun, 14 Dec 2025 10:03:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5bd4e6_39637116616f4718a72f6e13225d50b9~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>CrefftauBeca</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Life of Jesus Advent Calendar - Day 13: Jesus Walks on Water]]></title><description><![CDATA[Jesus doesn't allow their fear to overwhelm them. Immediately he calls out to them, saying "Take heart, it is I. Do not be afraid." These are the same words Jesus speaks to us when we are in our scariest moments. How do we respond to them? Do we trust them? Or do we seek out proof first that we can trust Jesus, like Peter asking to walk on the water, only to be distracted and start to sink again when we take our eyes from Jesus? ]]></description><link>https://crefftaubeca.wixsite.com/crefftaubeca/post/advent-calendar-day-13</link><guid isPermaLink="false">693d13044992c1bfd5d9fa62</guid><pubDate>Sat, 13 Dec 2025 07:52:52 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5bd4e6_2e6d4405660d40b1907b36d8a144338f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>CrefftauBeca</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Life of Jesus Advent Calendar - Day 12: Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand]]></title><description><![CDATA[Oh, what generosity and grace from God we see in Luke 9:10–17. First, we’re told that Jesus welcomed the crowds. He didn’t view them as an interruption or an inconvenience, but as people to be taught, loved, and healed. ]]></description><link>https://crefftaubeca.wixsite.com/crefftaubeca/post/advent-calendar-day-12</link><guid isPermaLink="false">693bd466425c793086d98c82</guid><pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2025 09:17:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5bd4e6_6079cea05faa4f61a20c79b9ad195954~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>CrefftauBeca</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Life of Jesus Advent Calendar - Day 11: Jesus Heals a Paralysed Man]]></title><description><![CDATA[I had a lot of fun designing this stocking, and it makes a wonderful hands-on lesson for Sunday school too. I’ve even used an old cardboard box to create the house, with play figurines for the characters, and let the children lift off the “roof tiles” so they can lower the paralysed man down to Jesus.]]></description><link>https://crefftaubeca.wixsite.com/crefftaubeca/post/advent-calendar-day-11</link><guid isPermaLink="false">693a392d52e0714bcdd4d29d</guid><pubDate>Thu, 11 Dec 2025 04:26:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5bd4e6_6572a21b7f3640b5926f5dd69438eac5~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>CrefftauBeca</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Life of Jesus Advent Calendar - Day 10: Jesus and the Woman of Samaria]]></title><description><![CDATA[John 4:1–42 is another of my favourite passages in the Bible. Most of us know what it feels like to be excluded from something at some point in our lives, but this Samaritan woman lived with rejection as a daily reality. She had been through five husbands and was now with a man who wasn’t even prepared to call her his wife. It's no wonder that she came to draw water in the heat of the day, deliberately avoiding those who were likely to scorn her. ]]></description><link>https://crefftaubeca.wixsite.com/crefftaubeca/post/advent-calendar-day-10</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6938e0ef4e2629cde3a1cdd9</guid><pubDate>Wed, 10 Dec 2025 03:48:28 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5bd4e6_af706f6646f34ac68e3a1e9146a05c4e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>CrefftauBeca</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Life of Jesus Advent Calendar - Day 9: The Wedding at Cana]]></title><description><![CDATA[While many people today aren’t familiar with much of the Bible, I suspect most would still recognise today’s passage in John 2:1-11, the moment when Jesus turns water into wine. It’s a story people often joke about, imagining what a great party trick it would be, or how convenient it would be to have Jesus around for this reason alone.]]></description><link>https://crefftaubeca.wixsite.com/crefftaubeca/post/advent-calendar-day-9</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69379dbc1d422bb0eb1a58d7</guid><pubDate>Tue, 09 Dec 2025 04:36:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5bd4e6_6762f4635e29438a91773777e95bf398~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>CrefftauBeca</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Life of Jesus Advent Calendar - Day 8: Jesus Calls the First Disciples]]></title><description><![CDATA[Imagine you're at work, doing the same old thing you do every day, trying to make a living to support your family, when a stranger who you've kind of seen around the place and heard a little bit about, comes up to you and says to you, "Follow me, and I will make you become [insert your occupation here] of men."]]></description><link>https://crefftaubeca.wixsite.com/crefftaubeca/post/advent-calendar-day-8</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69363d03a2eba4aaa5c26394</guid><pubDate>Mon, 08 Dec 2025 03:32:47 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5bd4e6_6127e25c635a4deb95f1df0ed3f87975~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>CrefftauBeca</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Life of Jesus Advent Calendar - Day 7: The Temptation of Jesus]]></title><description><![CDATA[It might seem strange to include this scene from the Gospels in our advent calendar, especially if we are aiming it towards children. I think however that it is important not to sugar-coat the real struggles we might face in life, and to draw comfort from how we see Jesus facing the very things that we struggle with today. ]]></description><link>https://crefftaubeca.wixsite.com/crefftaubeca/post/advent-calendar-day-7</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69328273d6a3f601d6488241</guid><pubDate>Sun, 07 Dec 2025 02:39:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5bd4e6_db5bd37b6aae4c28a31e7cbca77250ac~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>CrefftauBeca</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Life of Jesus Advent Calendar - Day 6: Jesus is Baptised]]></title><description><![CDATA[Some of the most beautiful moments in the New Testament, in my opinion, are where God the Father's voice is heard from the heavens, declaring that he is "well pleased" with his "beloved" Son. It happens once Jesus is baptised, and we'll see it happen again when we get to the transfiguration in stocking no. 14.]]></description><link>https://crefftaubeca.wixsite.com/crefftaubeca/post/advent-calendar-day-6</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69326d8f346ce9789f5807e4</guid><pubDate>Sat, 06 Dec 2025 03:24:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5bd4e6_bcb20b9df700423cbdcca76239e969c0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>CrefftauBeca</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Life of Jesus Advent Calendar - Day 5: Joseph and Mary lose Jesus]]></title><description><![CDATA[I love this passage (Luke 2:41–52). It always makes me smile, and I think it must be a great comfort to any parent who has ever lost their child in a supermarket. Joseph and Mary travelled a whole day before realising Jesus wasn’t with them, and then spent another three days searching for him.]]></description><link>https://crefftaubeca.wixsite.com/crefftaubeca/post/advent-calendar-day-5</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69325aa2a7a4d87bcf14b057</guid><pubDate>Fri, 05 Dec 2025 05:19:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5bd4e6_5eb8057c91a4476a9aa43355ecb84e9f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>CrefftauBeca</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>