Stop.
Breathe.
Wait.
Whatever you do.
Don’t rush.
It’s very tempting to rush into Christmas, the shops this year seem to have jumped the gun, blending Christmas and Halloween into a weird mix of seasons. Talking with others it seems consensus is that since this year has been so difficult why not run into the joy of the season earlier, put the trees up, decorate the streets, put the stress of 2020 behind us.
This year we invite you to remember the God who will come to us on their own terms, not to rush into the season but wait with anticipation and hope for God to be present with us. We have no tricks or illusions that can bring God here now, we can’t hurry God up, we can’t control God, God will come in God’s own time. So, until then we will need to learn to wait.
Advent invites us to wait, to pray, to keep our eyes open. Let these reflections help you make space to wait.
Darren Wright – Lay Pastor
The period of preparation for Christmas, the Advent season, is often a time of mixed feelings. The expectations that may not be fulfilled. The hopes for reunions and happy family time that may not happen. Yet we hold on to the underlying faith that the coming of this Child is so very important, despite the stresses that surrounded that Coming. Thank you, Ranjini, for offering these Advent Reflections again, to help us focus our minds on the Christ, who entered this confusing and troubled world for the sake of us all.
Margaret Reeson – Chair Worship Team