From the Minister
Dear Friends,
How good are you at waiting?
I have a confession to make – I hate waiting! I dislike standing at a bus stop for anything more than a few minutes and when I order something online I am impatient for it to arrive. Friends joke that my favourite prayer is; “Lord, please give me patience – right now!”
As we start December we enter Advent, a season of waiting. We often imagine that Advent is purely about waiting for Christmas and the celebration of the birth of Jesus and Advent calendars help to reinforce that idea. However, that is only a small part of the Advent story. Advent is actually about focusing on the second coming of Christ, when he will come in glory and bring God’s kingdom to earth. During Advent we prepare, not just for the coming of the Christ Child, but for Jesus’ reign as king and judge.
Advent themes recognise this as, alongside reflecting on those who wait for Jesus, we have the rather more sombre themes of death, judgement, heaven and hell. Traditionally Advent was very much like Lent, a time for reflection and penance as people prepared their souls to meet Christ.
So, how do we wait during Advent? Is it a time of frantic preparation for the ‘big day’ involving gifts, food and a social whirl or are we able to make time to wait reflectively and take a bit of extra space amid the busyness to reflect on our relationship with God?
One of the ways that help us to focus on waiting well is to read an Advent book; a selection of reflections, readings and prayers to focus the mind. These can provide a new perspective and a moment of peace in a busy season. The Methodist Church are offering some online reflections and resources based around the carol ‘It came upon a midnight clear’ and at St John’s, a variety of books will be available to borrow from 1st December. You could also choose to join the Advent course taking place in Glemsford as a way of sharing some reflective time with others.
However you choose to wait this Advent, may it be a time of blessing and renewal.
‘Wait for the LORD, be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.’ – Psalm 27
God bless.
Ruth.