Reflection from the Rectory – In Anticipation – Advent and Christmas
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“Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD's hand double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” Isaiah 40:1-3
The verse which accompanies the image of the Christ child for this newsletter is taken from the King James Version of the Bible. I have used it because it announces the Christ’s coming; It is also the opening stanza of Handel’s wonderful work, The Messiah. I was blessed to be in Lincoln Cathedral in November (alongside Alwyn Kirk) as the Lincoln Chamber Orchestra and the Lincoln Cathedral Choir performed this seminal work. The performance reminded me of the wonder of our God and the love that he has for us. From start to finish I was captivated by the music and singing, just as I am captivated by the love of our God.
Advent is a season in which the excitement, the anticipation, of getting ready for Jesus builds. We prepare week by week. Scripture is full of words of preparedness, I wonder where we all are in our own faith. Thinking about Isaiah’s words, how straight is the path on which we walk, who are we walking it with and who might we want to walk with. Perhaps that is something we can explore together, at worship, maybe you might wish to join our Benefice Advent Exploration beginning on the 2nd of December, more detail below. But, of course, we do not have to wait until then! You could start now, some of you might have already done so through the new Bible Studies which have started across the Benefice. They are being well attended. Knowing the Story, our Story is so important in our Christian lives and I will, rightly, not stop speaking about that in the weeks, months, and years to come.
So Advent is upon us. What are you anticipating? As with every church year, the Advent and Christmas seasons will offer so many opportunities to worship and praise and I pray that, in and through them, we can encourage people to join with us as we prepare to welcome Emmanuel “our God with us.” Seasons blessings to you all. Reverend Al