<h3><b>The Centenary Prayer</b> </h3><h3>Heavenly Father, in our Centenary year we rededicate ourselves and our Diocese to you. Send the Holy Spirit to give us confidence in our witness, generosity in our service, and love for our neighbours, that your Church may be renewed and many come home to you, through your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.</h3>
Glory Around Us: Finding God in the Fragile"The Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory."When you hear the word glory, what comes to mind?In our modern world, glory is usually synonymous with success. We see it on social media feeds, in the news, and in the "celebrity culture" that surrounds us. It looks like power, adulation, and recognition. It’s the fanfare of trumpets or the prestige of a New Year’s Day honour. To us, glory means being seen, validated, and celebrated.But on Christmas Day, we are invited to look at a completely different kind of glory.The God Who Pitched a TentThe New Testament is full of light and power when describing the Creator—the eternal one through whom all things were made. This is "Big Bang" glory. Yet, the Gospel tells us that this infinite God came to dwell among us.In the original language, that word "dwell" literally means "pitched his tent."Think about that for a moment. God didn't build a fortress or a palace. He chose a transient, fragile existence. He "camped out" in a way that reminds us of refugees fleeing for their lives, or the small, popped-up tents of the homeless in our wealthy cities.His "tent" was the flimsy, fragile body of a newborn:Vulnerable and dependent.Born to a teenage mother in a world of poor sanitation.A sovereign Creator relying on His own creatures for food, shelter, and life.A Reversal of RolesThis is a complete reversal of everything we think we know about power. In this tiny infant, we see the fullness of the glory of God.We don’t normally seek out glory in transience, vulnerability, or surrender. We find it hard to take pride in our moments of weakness or our reliance on others. Yet, this is exactly where God is to be found.God’s glory is found in:The out-of-the-way places.The edges of the empire rather than the halls of power.The dirty, grimy, and "unspectacular" moments of life.By entering our world on our terms, God didn't seek to overpower or impress us. He came to be alongside us—to understand our pain, our desires, and our concerns from the inside out.Recognising the UnrecognisedYou would think glory would be easy to spot, but God’s glory is defined so differently that we often fail to see it. Who wants to embrace vulnerability? Who looks for the Divine in a "tent" when they are searching for a palace?Because Jesus stood for what is true, just, and fair, rather than what was popular, the world did not recognise Him. There were no fanfares or medals for the King of Kings.The Gift is Still OpenChrist still dwells among us today. He still wants to be part of your life, joining you in your questioning, your saddest lows, and your happiest highs.This is the miracle of Christmas: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life.”That is God’s gift to us. If you haven't yet accepted Jesus into your life, please don't let this season pass you by without opening the greatest gift you will ever receive.God is here. His tent is pitched right alongside yours.
A Reflection on Gaudete SundayFinding Joy When Life Doesn’t Go to PlanPicture the scene: I am sitting in an auditorium, beaming with joy. The band, Steeleye Span, has just finished playing "Gaudete." I turn to my wife, Tracey, expecting her to share my delight. Her response? "Next time, you're coming by yourself!"It wasn't her cup of tea. While I was rejoicing, she was definitely not.This creates a perfect backdrop for the third Sunday of Advent, known as Gaudete (or "Rejoice") Sunday. On this day, we light the rose-coloured candle on the Advent wreath to represent joy. The readings speak of deserts blossoming and wilderness rejoicing. But in the Gospel reading, we find John the Baptist in a situation that feels far from joyful.From Wilderness to WallsWe are used to picturing John as a wild, free figure baptising in the Jordan River. But by this point in the story, his perspective has shifted drastically. He has gone from wide-open spaces to the captivity of a prison cell.Confined and facing death for speaking the truth to Herod, John does something unexpected. He sends a message to Jesus asking: “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”This question comes from the man who leapt in his mother’s womb at the presence of Jesus. The man who saw the dove descend at Jesus' baptism. Now, in the darkness of a cell, he wonders if he bet his life on the wrong person.The Crisis of ExpectationWhy the doubt? Because John had expectations. Based on the prophecies of Isaiah, John expected a Messiah with a winnowing fork and an axe—someone to burn the chaff, judge the wicked, and set up a new government.Instead, Jesus is preaching mercy, eating with sinners, and healing the sick. To John, looking through prison bars, it doesn't look like the "cleaning up" of the world he anticipated.Jesus’ Response: Look at the EvidenceJesus doesn't get angry at John’s doubt. He responds with gentleness and points John back to the other parts of Isaiah's prophecies."Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them." (Matthew 11:4-5)Jesus is essentially saying: John, you are focused on the endgame, the judgement and the reigning. We will get there. But look at what is happening right now. The healing, the restoration, the mercy. It is all happening exactly as scripture said it would.Trusting the TimelineWe are often like John. When we watch the news, see wars, or suffer personal injustice, we want to skip to the end. We want Jesus to come back now, fix the mess, and vindicate the righteous. We want the "winnowing fork."But Jesus operates on a different timeline. He assures John—and us—that the plan is unfolding as it should. The Kingdom is breaking in, just not in the way we might have designed it.Redefining JoySo, what does this mean for us on "Rejoice Sunday"?It suggests that joy isn't just about happy sentiments or everything going our way. John the Baptist is the patron saint of spiritual joy, yet he likely died in that prison cell. Perhaps he learned that true joy isn't the absence of suffering, but the confidence that God is who He says He is.Joy happens when we dare to believe that God's work is bigger than our current circumstances.If you are asking today, "Are you the one, Jesus, or should I look for another?", look at the evidence. Look at the lives changed, the blind seeing, and the hope given to the poor. The King is here, and His plan is good.Next Step: Take a moment this week to read Isaiah 35. Instead of focusing on what God hasn't done yet in your life, try to list three evidences of His grace that you can see happening right now.Fr Martin
Living Ready: Lessons from Pompeii and AdventSeveral years ago, my family and I visited the excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum in Italy. Walking through those ancient streets, I was struck by the looming, silent presence of Mount Vesuvius.It makes you wonder: given the history of the volcano, why did people build there? They must have known the risk. Yet, they settled, ate, drank, and went about their daily lives—until Vesuvius took charge, burying the towns in ash. They knew the history, but they ignored the urgency.How Can We Not Know?This dynamic mirrors the questions raised in Matthew 24. Jesus tells his disciples about the end times, emphasising the certainty of his return. But then he drops a bombshell in verse 36:“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”This creates a theological puzzle. If we believe Jesus is fully God, how can He not know? Is He limited?The answer lies in voluntary humility. Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus choosing to limit Himself to fully experience our humanity—to walk our walk and experience our waiting. He chose not to know the hour of his return as an ultimate act of submission to the Father. He modelled a life of trust rather than a life of having all the answers.Prediction vs. PreparationIn the passage, Jesus compares his return to the days of Noah. People were carrying on as usual right up until the flood. It was sudden, swift, and unpredictable.Despite this clear teaching, we still see people trying to predict the end. Social media trends and viral videos often claim to know the specific date of the Rapture or the end of the world. But Jesus is clear: We cannot predict it.Our job isn't to figure out the timeline; our job is readiness.The Call to "Keep Awake"In verse 42, Jesus gives the command: "Keep awake."This isn’t about physical sleep deprivation; it is a spiritual state. Advent is the season of waking up. It interrupts our "business as usual" mindset—much like the warning signs of Vesuvius should have interrupted Pompeii—and calls us to ready ourselves.But what does being "awake" look like in 2025? It’s not just waiting around; it is active participation in the Kingdom of God.Beating Swords into PlowsharesWe catch a glimpse of this "awake" life in Isaiah 2:4, where nations "beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks."To keep awake this Advent, we must shape ourselves into Kingdom people. This requires introspection:What swords are you holding? Are there harmful words or actions you need to lay down?Where is the war in your heart? Is there someone you need to forgive? Is there something you need to forgive yourself for?How can you cultivate peace? How might you quiet the internal noise and pray for the prosperity of others as much as your own?Being ready for Jesus isn't about marking a date on a calendar. It is about living with a heart at peace rather than a heart at war. It is about doing good and seeking the Kingdom, so that whenever He comes—or whenever He calls us home—we are found faithful.Let us use this season to wake up.Rev. Martin.
