Revd Sara’s First Advent Sunday Reflection 1st December 2024
Bible Reading: Luke 21:25-36
And so it begins, Advent is here!
The season of waiting, of preparation, of looking ahead to The Big Day – Christmas. Ticking
off to-do lists (have you bought the turkey, where is all that wrapping paper you bought last
year, how many mince pies do 14 people eat on Boxing Day?). Of course, there are the
seasonal highlights too – watching the neighbourhood slowly start glittering as more houses
put up their lights, singing carols with rowdy delight, feeling the air crisp and fresh.
We do a lot of waiting in our lives. Sometimes it’s in the supermarket queue or for the bus.
Maybe some of us are waiting for hospital appointments or diagnoses. Some are waiting for
the Christmas period, which can be a painful reminder of loneliness or loss, to simply be
over. Many will be waiting to see where their next meal will come from. More globally, with
2024 having been the biggest year for democracy in human history, many citizens have
been waiting to see who will have the keys to their equivalent of Number
10 Downing Street.
We all waited to see who would be sat behind the desk of the White
House. Refugees from Gaza, The Sudan, Venezuela, Afghanistan, Ukraine, are all waiting
to know when they can return home.
So, why not take a few minutes now to pause, and to reflect: as you think about what it is to
wait, to prepare, to anticipate, what does Advent mean for you this year?
This Advent, how does your ministry as a discipleship prioritise seeing humanity, and not
charity? When have we failed to see the humanity of others in our church, community,
nation, or world?
Part of the Advent is that we are waiting and preparing not just for the celebration of Jesus’
coming as a baby 2000 years ago. It is a season of waiting and preparing in the knowledge
that Jesus will come again. As Jesus says in today’s Bible reading: the signs that the
kingdom of God is close are out there. Can you notice them? Can you find space and
energy in this season to spot the signs that God’s dream for our world is close, sometimes
closer than we can imagine…
The light of the world is a hope and a message which withstands the test of time. Can you
be a witness to that light over the coming days, and beyond Advent into the year ahead.
How could you bring a little light to those who are waiting for love in your community?
Hymn:
176 STF – Like a candle flame - YouTube
May you go forth, in the name of the one who loves you,
By the grace of the one who came to live amongst us and makes himself known to us, even
today,
And by the power of the Spirit – alive and in our midst today.
May you go forth, one of the Advent people.
Amen. Love and prayers Revd Sara
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