Advent: a time of watching, waiting, wonders and a wake up call!

In our Gospel reading for this first week of Advent, Jesus describes a world where all hell has broken loose. Creation is in uproar, humanity in a panic, even the heavenly bodies are shaken and a sense of doom and terror prevails. How like our world today! I recently watched the David Attenborough film, ‘A Life on Our Planet’ which predicts doom for all creation if we don’t turn about and look after our planet. The Covid pandemic has created fear and anxiety. Some even believe we are in end times but Jesus tells us that only God the Father knows when Jesus will come again. Jesus tells not to turn away when we see these things because it’s a wake up call to turn to God the Creator of all things. Heaven and earth will pass away but his words will not.

The Church begins its new year when the days are getting darker. The Gospel reading starts not with images of twinkly stars, and woolly lambs but with the world falling apart. Julian of Norwich likens our world to a hazel nut, small and fragile yet God holds it in the palm of his hands. Julian lived in a time of famine, plagues, war, fire and brimstone but she knew that ultimately all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well. This is the hope we have in Christ, who came to put the world to rights. Advent means coming.

Advent brings us the invitation to wait on the Lord, whose day is near, to be strong and take heart. Advent reminds us that things worth waiting for happen in the dark.

Next spring's seeds break open in dark winter soil.

God's Spirit hovers over dark water, preparing to create worlds.

The child we wait for grows in the deep darkness of the womb.

Advent is a time of waiting, to celebrate Jesus coming into our world and to anticipate the hope of his second coming with great power and glory whenever that may be. Jesus tells us only The Father knows when that will be. We live in God’s kingdom in the here and now and are also aware of the kingdom yet to come. We see signs and wonders of the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. We see the terror and splendour of God, whose nature is both justice and love. During Advent, we live with quiet anticipation of the yet to come. Our modern culture wants quick arrivals, finish lines, shortcuts, and end products and results. The Christian life is counter-cultural to this speed and greed and involves obedience to Jesus our servant king, who came into the world as a helpless babe.

Advent is a time to perceive wonders. Christmas lights only shine in the dark and Jesus is the Light of the World. In Advent, we are called to hope and trust in the light that shines in the darkness and acknowledge that darkness is part of the light.

Advent invites us to dwell richly in the here and now, precisely because here is where God dwells when the oceans heave, the ground shakes, and our hearts are gripped by fear. Deep in the gathering dark, something tender continues to grow, wait for it, imagine it. Something beautiful, something for the world's saving, waits to be born. Perceive the signs and wonders that happen when the earth seems dormant but is gathering strength for its future harvest. In the same way our unique gifts are nurtured within us during dark times spent with God. Let us practice mindfulness, by being in the now, watching, waiting, feeling and seeing God’s presence around and within us.

Advent is an invitation to meet with God, who sets us free from the prison of our human limitations. Our reading today tells us to keep alert, to be always on the watch. To develop a way of looking at our broken world to see the signs and wonders where God is working and to join with The Holy Spirit the in the dance of love, hope and joy.

Angela Stewart, Lay Minister