St Mary’s Newchurch
Advent…
When our children were younger they used to start singing Christmas carols somewhere around the 15th of October, or so it is in my memory. By the time it got to December they were desperate to put up the Christmas tree and decorate the house. They would say ‘It’s Christmas now Dad.’ And in my memory I would patiently explain that ‘No it isn’t Christmas yet, it is Advent’. Apparently in their memories this conversation wasn’t so patient or gracious!
In any event this time of Advent is often lost to many of us. It’s supposed to be a time of expectant waiting. A pregnant pause if you will. A time to prepare but in our instant gratification world, where waiting is to be avoided if at all possible we seem to want, like my children did, to just jump to Christmas Eve and get to the fun part. After all why wait till Christmas to open presents or eat a bit more?
But if we are willing to wait, Advent can help us. It can make us engage with some of the harder parts of life rather than trying to cover them up. And just as the birth of Jesus took place in the middle of the muck and mess of the realities of life, and yet brought hope, peace and purpose to all who came to see him, we can still find in his life, death and resurrection the hope, peace and purpose we need in all life’s circumstances.
We’d love to see you at St Mary’s this Christmas. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas but don’t rush the waiting!
Happy Advent!