Dear Friends 

Well here we are in December and the start of another Advent. I hope you’ve all got an advent calendar as we mark the days down to the big day itself. And if you value the Christian faith don’t further to put a crib up as well.

As I type I’ve just about untangled the fairy lights ready for my Christmas tree. As we step into this season of preparation, I’m reminded that Advent isn’t simply about getting ready for Christmas; it’s about getting ready for Christ. And those are two very different things.

One involves lists, in fact I’ve just finished my Christmas shopping. Well, I’ve finished thinking about starting it which is pretty much the same thing!

The other involves stillness, prayer, watching, and making room for God—things which, ironically, are often the first to go missing at this time of year.

Many of us feel anxious as December picks up speed. We worry about plans, presents, gatherings, family and everything we might have forgotten.

But Advent invites us to do something rather counter-cultural: to stop, to breathe, to wait. God is not in a hurry. Christ arrives whether or not we’ve ironed the tablecloth.

So if you’re feeling overwhelmed with your life or the world, try this: give God the same attention you give your phone when it pings.

Pause. Look up. Take a moment of quiet - even if it’s in the car, on the loo, or in that aisle of the supermarket where no one ever goes. God doesn’t mind where you are; He’s already there.

My prayer for each of us this Advent is that, amid the bustle, we find pockets of stillness - little manger-shaped spaces where the love of God, found in the Christ child, can be welcomed again.

May peace find you, hope steady you, and may joy sneak up on you like the carol singers you weren’t expecting.

Advent blessings,

Reverend Gary