ST ANDREW HOLBORN

ADVENT BOOK 2015

“Born in the night”

ADVENT REFLECTIONS 2014

Introduction

In our Advent Book this year we have taken as our theme the carol, “Born in the

night, Mary’s child”, by Geoffrey Ainger. He wrote the carol in 1959, while minister

at Loughton Methodist Church in Essex.

Interviewed as part of BBC Radio Essex’s carol service from Loughton Methodist

Church in 1995, Geoffrey explained that the carol had been written incidentally to

a church play for teenagers, which sought to set the nativity in a modern context.

Accordingly, Joe and Mary, an unmarried couple who have arrived from London

late at night one Christmas Eve at Loughton Station, being unable to find

accommodation in Loughton, use a room in Brown’s Garage, where she gives birth.

The shepherds are bus conductresses and the Three Wise Men, off-duty east-end

social workers.

Here are the words of the carol:

Born in the night, Mary's child,

a long way from your home:

coming in need, Mary's child,

born in a borrowed room.

Clear shining light, Mary's child,

your face lights up our way:

light of the world, Mary's child,

dawn on our darkened day.

Truth of our life, Mary's child,

you tell us God is good:

prove it is true, Mary's child.

Go to your cross of wood.

Hope of the world, Mary's child,

you're coming soon to reign:

king of the earth, Mary's child,

walk in our streets again.

We reflect upon the circumstances of Our Lord’s birth, the state of our world and

how many are marginalised or rejected, the daily lives of women and men, and in

all of this the hope that is waiting to enfold us.

The purpose of this book is to help us pause and think about the implications of

Our Lord’s Birth so that our lives are enriched and all our relationships deepened.

Advent is a season observed in many Western Christian churches as a time of

expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of

Jesus at Christmas. The term is an anglicized version of the Latin word adventus,

meaning "coming".

Latin adventus is the translation of the Greek word parousia, commonly used to

refer to the Second Coming of Christ. For Christians, the season of Advent

anticipates the coming of Christ from two different perspectives. The season offers

the opportunity to share in the ancient longing for the coming of the Messiah, and

to be alert for his Second Coming.

Advent is the beginning of the Western liturgical year and commences on

the fourth Sunday before Christmas, the Sunday nearest to St. Andrew's Day (30

November), in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, and in the Anglican

calendar. In the Ambrosian Rite (used in the Archdiocese of Milan) Advent begins

on the Sixth Sunday before Christmas, the Sunday after St Martin’s Day (11

November).

Acknowledgements:

Our thanks go to Jane Franklin, John McWhinney, Erik Cannell, Sue Johns and

Fr Mark Young for their contributions to this series of reflections.

Advent Sunday 29 November

“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and

drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you

unexpectedly, like a trap.” Luke 21. 34.

Jesus, teaching in the Temple, speaks these words of warning to his disciples.

They are words to encourage, not to cause fear. Jesus puts his finger on three

things that can all too easily distract us and cause us to forget who we really are.

Dissipation may seem an old-fashioned word but it means overindulgence in

sensual pleasures or the squandering of money, energy, or resources. In the run-

up to Christmas with its round of entertaining and hospitality overindulgence is

all too present a temptation. Christmas, with all the opportunities that it affords,

classically tempts far too many of us to squander what we have to little or no

effect.

Drunkenness needs

hardly any explanation,

but ‘the more the

merrier’ is a motto

whose truth is clearly

disproved as we

negotiate the perils of

too much refreshment

either by ourselves or

others. Moreover feral

stupidity arising from

too much drink

manifests itself all year

round.

Then again perhaps for some the over-arching feeling at Christmas is one of

anxiety, whether all the arrangements or events will be perfect, and the stress

caused breaks out in arguments and real emotional distress.

Jesus reminds us that we can live differently, maintaining our focus on what is

essential about the season, and trusting that held by God we will find true joy and

real peace.

Monday 30 November

Born in the night, Mary’s child,

a long way from your home:

coming in need, Mary’s child,

born in a borrowed room.

Those of you who have experience of St Andrew’s Advent Reflections will know

we often choose carols that are a veritable feast of fantastic words and rich

imagery. The carol we have chosen this year is, by contrast, simple. Deceptively

simple though. There are two characters in this carol, Mary and her child; in fact

Christ is not named but only referred to as Mary’s child, a fact which can draw

the reader into really thinking about the words of the carol.

We know that Mary was barely

more than a child herself and yet

she finds herself propelled into a

situation that is beyond our

comprehension but not beyond

belief. We celebrate Christmas

because we believe that God

became flesh and we believe that

because of Mary and her experience

at the Annunciation. Of course it

wasn’t just her experience but the

experiences of her betrothed,

Joseph, and her relatives, Elizabeth

and Zechariah, that helped

corroborate her tale.

Nevertheless, it is because of this

young woman’s obedience and

faith, servant heart and

determination that our lives were

changed forever. What God asked of her was immense; yet she didn’t shrink

from it. As you go through the coming day, reflect on what God might be asking

you to do for Him. It may feel costly to you – indeed it may be sacrificial but as

we enter into this season or preparation let us open our hearts and minds, eyes

and ears to His bidding and draw on Mary’s inspirational strength to assist us in

our response.

Tuesday 1 December

Born in the night… The night is a place of darkness; a place where fears expand

and doubts crowd in. A place that turns sensible, sane people into a shadow of

their confident daylight selves. The night is a place where temptation stalks us

and greed prowls in the deep recesses of our being.

The night is a place where society is shamed; where the homeless and lost, the

vulnerable and sick are often left to fend for themselves. Where we abandon the

most susceptible people to those who would seek to gain from their plight. Where

we allow the defenceless to fend for themselves against the ravages of

consumerism and a society that measures people by their material success. Do

we truly respond to their need?

The night is a place that

haunts those who fear

loneliness, where the

depressed sink ever further

into their own isolation

and despair. The long

nights of winter can make

those who have a roof over

their head prisoners in

their own home. Afraid to

venture out; they become

trapped and separated. Do

we notice their

imprisonment?

Or do we fail to see it because it is easier if we don’t…

What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

(John 1: 4-5)

Born in the night, Mary’s child… Ponder how you can reflect His light, and

overcome the darkness in your life, and overcome the darkness in the lives of

those you touch.

Wednesday 2 December

A long way from your home… It is impossible to write these next three reflections

without framing them in the context of the tide of humanity that is sweeping into

Europe – and our response to those people.

A long way from your home… What compels these people to abandon their

homeland? No one chooses to walk away from all they know; from kith and kin;

from hearth and home unless they are desperate. Even more so, what could

possibly drive a parent to uproot their entire family, risking life and limb? We

know nothing of that level of desperation – or at least, I certainly don’t.

Of course, Joseph and Mary weren’t travelling through choice but because of

instruction. We all know that story so well, Quirinius was governor of Syria (and

that reference in itself is redolent with meaning in these days) and he ordered a

census but instead of feeling in forms – or the first century equivalent – everyone

had to go to the family town and Joseph was of the line of David so they had to

make the long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem.

Poor Mary, how she must

have suffered on that journey

and how alone and frightened

was she. A young girl going

through her first pregnancy

and then childbirth with no

mother to comfort her or

familiar midwife to tend her.

And the Christ child, Mary’s

child, was also a long way

from His home.

Home is an evocative word. To each of us it will mean something very different

and not always something pleasant either. Home should be a place of safety; a

haven of love; somewhere that draws us back again and again. This Christmas

remember all those who are ‘a long way from their home’.

Thursday 3 December

Coming in need, Mary’s child… The vulnerability of a baby is beyond

description, a new-born baby is utterly dependent on its parents. Mary’s child

was totally reliant on others – in particular Mary and Joseph. How does the

Creator cope with that? How does the being, the Word, who was at the beginning

of time accept the vulnerability of being a new-born child – actually being Mary’s

child? Coming in need really doesn’t do it justice.

God incarnate came to earth as the most defenceless and helpless being, a new-

born baby… God relied on his earthly parents for everything. Can you begin to

imagine exactly what the means? How precisely does God cope with giving up

absolutely all He has? From being the Maker of the cosmos, in complete control

and command, He willingly accepts all that is asked of Him.

In the Christmas story there is a real sense of trust and relationship. The Trinity,

knowing and confident in their own eternal relationship, are willing to accept all

that becoming God Incarnate means to them and their contiguous connection. To

go from the ultimate position of power and strength to the absolute opposite end

of the scale takes considerable comprehension. In fact, it’s almost beyond our

comprehension.

Think about a new-born baby who you’ve known, either with direct or close

responsibility. Then imagine the Creator offering Himself in that place… Was

the Need the child’s? Or was the need ours? Or both…

Friday 4 December

Born in a borrowed room… The word that springs to my mind is – Empathy.

Mary’s child knows what poverty and reliance on others feels like. He was born

into a borrowed stable, without even the dignity of a proper room. His parents

fled to Egypt from Herod’s jealous rage and infanticide. I can only imagine that

they relied on the benevolence of others there too. His early years were

undoubtedly reliant on the charity of others for shelter, if not more.

As we prepare to celebrate the feast of His birth in the warmth and comfort of our

own homes, let us not lose sight of the countless millions around the world who

have no such luxury. You will have your own thoughts about this but these are a

few that I carry on my own heart. Firstly the growing number of homeless people

living on the streets of our towns and cities. These aren’t itinerants but people

who have no option or alternative. Secondly the thousands who will spend

Christmas huddled in makeshift shelters around Calais… some worshipping at

that makeshift church no doubt. Still grateful to God even in their despair.

Thirdly the excluded peoples of our world; those whose class or race or faith

make them outcasts. They are often hidden from our eyes but they suffer

nonetheless.

Mary’s child, God Incarnate could

have chosen to be born into a very

different place. His entire life was one

of humility. His identification with

and service to the poor and the

excluded started from the moment He

was born. He challenged His people –

the people of Israel; the line of David.

He challenged them to recognise the

Messiah amongst them; present but

unnoticed by so many.

The hope of the nation moved amongst

them but they didn’t expect what they

were given. They wanted triumph and

power, instead they were shown

service and justice.

Mary’s child continues to challenge each and every one of us today. Especially

to identify with and serve those most in need within our society.

Saturday 5 December

Clear shining light, Mary's child,

your face lights up our way:

light of the world, Mary's child,

dawn on our darkened day.

Light is part of the very nature of God. The Psalmist simply proclaims, “The Lord

is my light,” and in John’s Gospel we read that God’s embodied Word “was the

light of all mankind.” When God utters his first words in the Creation story, light

is the singularity that banishes the formless void.

Light is not only God’s nature and what he fundamentally is, his very words are

light. It seems he cannot exist without life-giving words. When God says, “Let

there be light,” he uses his voice to fashion the very foundation of things. God

created light before he created the sun and moon, so that first light, a result of his

words, were emanating from his own being.

Out of God’s very nature, light comes forth when God speaks and through every

word he says. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” It shines

for us, so it can shine through us as forerunners like John who bear witness to the

coming light. The Holy Scriptures are written by human hands, so someone has

to tell the story or to see it unfolding and write it down.

Besides the light of God’s Word, we have the embodied Word, Jesus. Scripture

was written by humans, the embodied Word is a human being. Light can pass

from the realm of God and into human hearts when human beings shine forth

their knowledge and experience of his human Word.

The Second Sunday of Advent 6 December

For he is like a refiner’s fire and like

fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and

purifier of silver, and he will purify the

descendants of Levi and refine them like

gold and silver, until they present

offerings to the LORD in righteousness.

Mal. 2b -3.

It may be difficult to hold on to the ideal

of watching and waiting during Advent,

and to find any time for reflection and

amendment of life. Such an exercise

anyway sounds rather dreary and counter

to the spirit of the season. Yet underneath

this lies the fact that we have managed to

get things the wrong way round.

All the celebrations happen in the run up

to Christmas and usually by Boxing Day

are all over. In fact they should all start

on Christmas day and, if we are true to the

Church’s calendar, run until 2 February,

the Feast of Candlemas. December, despite the festive overdrive around us, is the

time to think about what things really mean.

Of course this is hard, it may be a difficult test, and that is what Malachi reminds

us of. But the test is not simply an exercise in pain and gloom, but a means of

helping us to change for the better. As we think and reflect and make changes so

we become better conduits of joy and hope for others – less concerned about our

own pleasures or our own projects and able to reach out and bring real goodness

into the world.

Monday 7 December

God’s light gives reassurance and direction when we feel hopeless and lost. He

guided Israel through the wilderness with a glowing cloud that blazed like fire

when the sun went down. Even when he sent them wandering for 40 years in the

desert, the burning sign of God’s glory was with them all the time. It formed a

beacon, telling them where to go even while they were being punished.

John the Baptist is the early light-bearer of Jesus’ ministry, and yet we find his

parents helping reveal his birth. Zacharias sings a hymn for his son, saying, “The

dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness

and in the shadow of death.”

Perhaps he is thinking of a caravan travelling at night when they lose their way.

They give up, sit down and prepare to die in the dark. For them, the dawn or

dayspring would be both reviving and guiding. It gives relief from the panic of

not knowing what lurks in the dark but is also a basic compass.

God asks Job, “Have you ever given orders to the morning or shown the dawn its

place?” With a basic knowledge of the seasons and stars, you can find your exact

direction at the moment the sun meets the horizon. The stars can guide you at

night, but only in the day can you see where you’re going. Jesus, the dayspring is

the dawning of light. We can look to him for relief, new life, direction and

guidance.

Tuesday 8 December

God knows everything, shining light into the darkest corner of creation and the

human heart. The Psalmist says, “If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me...

Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the

darkness and the light are both alike to thee.”

In the Creation story, God separated the light from darkness, but it is literally

nothing to him. He can exist in the dark, but to him, the darkness does not exist.

He literally sees through it.

In Psalm 139 he talks about how God can see in secret, how he can look even into

the womb where an infant’s body is being fashioned. He says it is impossible for

the human mind to understand such searching knowledge and love. The poet

seems unafraid, even comforted, by being so well known, and asks the God of all

knowledge to point out the flaws that he cannot yet see.

Jesus says, “What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight,” and

“proclaimed from roofs.” Flat housetops were places for cooking, washing, and

people would gossip with their neighbours over the wall. Jesus seems to say that

God’s searching wisdom leaves no stone unturned, so you might as well come

clean. Light can be terrifying, revealing, embarrassing, exposing, yet we do not

have to be afraid of it. God gives us no right to privacy. His loving surveillance

will catch all of us out, but he is a kind judge to anyone who throws themselves

on his mercy.

Wednesday 9 December

A principal theme we encounter in Advent is the coming of light, and imminent

light plays a dramatic role in some of the Bible’s most compelling stories. The

light of morning can signal the end of a trial, the beginning of a new test, the close

of revelation, or the start of a new course of action.

Jacob wrestled with an angel all night. The angel was God, who supposedly

couldn’t overpower the man whose name became Israel. The angel said, “Let me

go, because dawn is breaking.” The boy Samuel heard God’s voice in the temple

at night telling him news that would “make everyone’s ears tingle.” He later

awoke to Eli a terrible prophecy that God would fulfil.

When Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den the king waited up all night and

didn’t eat. At dawn he rushed to the prison cell to find God’s prophet alive. And

when St Paul and his companions were facing death at sea, he urged them at dawn

to eat what some must have thought was their last meal – they threw the remaining

grain into the sea. Their ship broke apart on the shores of Malta, but everyone

reached safety.

What will dawn bring tomorrow? Revelation? Hope? The end of a terrible trial?

Some overwhelming new challenge? Ask God if he will tell you what’s coming

with the new day, and use the time to reflect on what he has done. “His

mercies...are new every morning.”

Thursday 10 December

Light is a blessing. “Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us”

(Psalm 4). “The Lord make his face to shine upon you.” (Numbers 6:25). There

are countless references to God beaming with love and blessing on the people he

has created and set aside for his work. Moses spent so much time speaking

personally with God on Mt Sinai that his face started to glow. When the talks

were over, and the glory eventually faded, Moses still kept his face veiled, so

proud he had been to be so close to God.

We are channels of God’s light, so if God is shining his face on someone or

bringing light and clarity into a difficult situation, it can happen through us. We

can receive that gift of a lightened face from other people, and we can give it too.

Probably the reason that the Bible doesn’t refer to it as God smiling is because it

goes deeper than that. He knows us intimately. Benediction literally means to

speak well of, so the light

of God’s face is saying I

love you. And this applies

to all people.

“The Lord looked down

from heaven and beheld

all the children of men.

He fashioneth all the

hearts of them and

understandeth all their

works.” Nothing you do

is mysterious to God. It

might hurt other people and lead to your own destruction. It might make him

angry or sad, but he is never puzzled by it. Be confident in the light of his

knowledge and blessing.

Friday 11 December

Truth of our life, Mary's child,

you tell us God is good:

prove it is true, Mary's child.

Go to your cross of wood.

What is the truth of our lives? Where do we find meaning? Is there more to life

than the simple material pursuit of work, rest and play? If we fail to seek meaning

does that mean our lives are imbalanced? How well do we know ourselves?

The Gospel story is about the one

true God interacting with his

creation. The birth of the Christ

child was a pivotal point in

history to which the western

world, however secular it is, still

refers to in its calendar. The God

of love expressed himself in the

birth of a baby, the baby who

through living a human life would

show how a human life could

truly be lived. A life of love and

devotion to family and friends but

also one of self-sacrifice for the

whole of the world. This does not

mean that Jesus did not struggle to

find the truth of his own life, nor

that he sailed through life on the crest of a wave. He, like us, had to work through

what was being asked of him as a human being to find that core of himself where

he met God and allowed the Spirit to work in his life.

How did he do that? By being prepared to spend time with God in silence, in

contemplation and prayer. Allowing the Spirit to challenge his thoughts and

feelings and desires so that all that is left is the desire to do the will of God and

to be in his presence.

Is that something you feel challenged about? To find the truth of your life in a

quiet space within you where you can meet God?

Saturday 12 December

You tell us God is good.

What is your image of God? We often choose not to believe in God because we

don't like him. Christopher Jamieson said "the God you don't believe in doesn't

exist". God is a God of love and the birth, life and death of Jesus is the supreme

example of his love (which we will look at tomorrow).

Some people view God as a tyrant or a monster who demands the death of his

own flesh and blood in order to forgive the sins of man. The God of the Old

Testament can be viewed in such a way.

The God that demands Abraham sacrifice his longed for son, Isaac. The God that

allows "his" people to become slaves in Egypt and then when finally he helps

them escape leaves them to perish in the wilderness so that it is the next

generation that enters the Promised Land. The God that demands his people

commit genocide in the country to which he leads them.

This God does indeed seem like one that needs to be appeased, however that is

not the God of the Gospel story. Even when Paul states in Hebrews 10 verse 31

that "it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" it is a glorious

God of love that he refers to.

You tell us God is good, do you believe that? What is your image of God?

The Third Sunday of Advent 13 December

Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with

thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Phil. 4. 6.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Luke 3. 16.

Both Paul and John the Baptist underscore the themes we have looked at on the

first two Sundays of Advent.

Paul urges the Philippians not to worry. By this stage of the season worries may

loom large for us – will we get all the presents in time, or lay in all the supplies

we need, or how will we survive the visit of or visit to certain relatives or friends.

However Paul urges us to pray, not as some escape, but as a way of centring

ourselves back on the foundation which can support us through all this. As we

remember God so we can also remember what truly is important and see that

some of the things we are worried about are not the ‘end of the universe’, and that

we can find a way forward with a degree of calm and balance.

John the Baptist reminds

us that Jesus calls us to rid

ourselves of what is

unnecessary and weighs

us down, but also that He

can breathe his peace

upon us. Strange though

it may seem, we can

remind ourselves of the

Disciples after the

Crucifixion, anxious and

afraid, hiding behind a

locked door, wondering

what was going to

happen. Then Jesus appears to them and says “Peace be with you”. For any of us,

tempted to retreat behind a locked door, simply to get away from the pressures of

the moment, this is real, good news.

God will give us the strength and peace we need to deal with all the demands of

the day, and give us the love and power to keep on caring for those we meet.

Monday 14 December

Prove it is true.

Jesus’ response to proving God is good is to live as one of us and then to suffer

and die on the tree.

The life of Jesus is God's way of showing how life should be lived in love for

each other, not seeking to lord it over others, nor to be greedy or seek power but

to share life and possessions and rather than kill others be prepared to die for not

just friends but enemies too.

Jesus shows the extent to which this God of love will go to forgive sins, it is not

that he demands justice but shows another way of being, one where he is merciful

and forgiving even when experiencing the worst that mankind can do not only to

themselves but to God himself.

So how does Jesus prove it is true that God is good?

By agreeing to be born in an ordinary family;

to be brought up in difficult circumstances, to

share love, joy and bereavement; to live in a

politically turbulent time; to give up a good

business and become an itinerant preacher and

healer and to challenge the people in power

about their abuse of that power. And in the end

to suffer death at the hands of those in positions

of power in order to show that love and

forgiveness is more powerful and fruitful in the

end.

What does it mean for us that God is good and that Jesus proves it? Are you

challenged to live and love in the light of God's love and forgiveness?

Tuesday 15 December

Go to your cross of wood.

The birth of a baby is meant to bring joy and happiness to the parents, to the

family and to the neighbourhood. Anything less and we feel cheated. Babies that

have not developed properly in the womb or have genetically inherited problems

are given love and support but there is sadness there too.

Jesus' birth was not in ideal circumstances. There was the question of who was

his father, the moral reputation of his mother, the need to travel far from home

because of bureaucracy, giving birth amongst strangers in the family room near

the animals. Then fleeing in the night and leaving behind traumatised and

bereaved families as a generation of sons are wiped out.

Mary was warned that her son would be both a blessing and a cause for deep

piercing sorrow. The coming crucifixion is not far from the minds of the Gospel

writers. Christmas does not

mean anything without

Good Friday and Easter.

So the shadow of the cross is

always there in Jesus' life,

and as a carpenter he has an

affinity with wood that

makes the rough punishment

of the cross bar particularly

ironic. We live the other

side of that cross of wood

but do we take its meaning

seriously in our lives, do we

spend time meditating on the

Gospel story and allow the

Spirit of God to influence

every aspect of our lives?

As you prepare for

Christmas do you think

about the deeper meaning of

the coming of the Christ

child?

Wednesday 16 December

Truth of our life, Mary's child,

you tell us God is good:

prove it is true, Mary's child.

Go to your cross of wood.

The reference throughout this song is to Mary's child. In the Gospels Jesus is most

usually referred to as Son of Man and Son of David. All three titles emphasis the

humanity of Jesus, and in the Christmas story it is shown that Jesus is most

definitely a Son of Woman! It is the very humanity of Jesus that challenges the

Priests and Sadducees as they refuse to also see his divinity.

When Jesus is brought before Pilate he states, "for this reason I was born, and for

this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth

listens to me." Pilate responded by asking "What is truth?"

So too the hymn’s author asks us to think about the truth behind not just the

Christmas story but the whole of Jesus' life and death. In Advent we have the

opportunity to go beyond the glitzy trimmings of Christmas to seek the truth

within the Christmas story, beyond bizarre nativity plays, Santa sleighs and

Christmas dinner, beyond the must have presents, the family pressures and the

must watch TV until we find the truth that can inform all of our lives. The truth

that God is indeed good and wants only the best for us because he loves us and

has proved it to be true in Jesus, Mary's child.

Thursday 17 December

Hope of the world, Mary's child,

you're coming soon to reign:

king of the earth, Mary's child,

walk in our streets again.

In the context of Christianity, the word “hope” gets thrown around quite a lot, not

just in the prayers and liturgies, but going all the way to the heart of the scriptures

as well. Much of the biblical narrative takes the form of God answering his

people’s hopes – freedom from slavery, the coming of a saviour, the need for the

resurrection – the list goes on. This doesn’t always apply very easily to us now –

what are we supposed to hope for? How could God possibly respond? Do we

even know what we really hope for? This is one, subtle, aspect of Advent – not

simply preparing for Christmas, but preparing ourselves to meet God in our own

ways, and trying, as far as we can, to make sure it really means something when

we do.

This need not be a difficult process; we can start simply by thinking over all the

things which concern us in our own personal circumstances. What are the causes?

Do we ourselves share blame for it? Whatever faith you have, or none, it can do

nothing but help to try seeing everything afresh, and then we can really be open

to the possibilities of hope for change and renewal.

Friday 18 December

Lines which tell that the “King is coming soon to reign” are another recurring

theme found quite frequently in the Bible and in the church’s prayers. The

imagery of pomp and majesty is very evocative and makes for excellent prose.

BUT – how does this fit into the here and now? How, indeed, does it fit into ever-

the one thing gods tend not to do is appear. This seems, on the surface, impossible

to reconcile without backtracking into calling it a metaphor.

This is where the Gospels give us

a twist. Instead of focusing on the

way God might come to us, as the

question suggests, we can find

the answer by looking at what we

know about God. Instead of

coming as a physical form at a

given point in time, God

transcends the temporal and

comes to us, as it were, through

the medium of people. That is,

when humanity works actively to

build the “kingdom”, then God

becomes our new reality.

Saturday 19 December

Let’s unpick this idea of the King coming to reign. As we’ve already explored,

this might well be interpreted as building the kingdom as a present tense reality,

the process of that being the so called “coming”. It has to be said, it’s been a long

time coming indeed! How do we play a part in helping it along? Can it ever be

achieved overall, or will it ever have to be a collection of small, individual acts?

There probably is no good answer to that, but

as long we have the freedom to perform

small acts, however insignificant they may

seem, there is always the hope of achieving

something greater, collectively. As the hymn

verse puts it:

Dwell in our hearts, O saviour blest,

so shall Thine advent’s dawn,

Twixt us and Thee, our bosom-guest,

be but the veil withdrawn.

The Fourth Sunday of Advent 20 December

From you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is

from of old, from ancient days. Micah 5. 2.

God is always there for us, always has been, and always will be. It can be hard to

remember this or hold on to this when we are challenged by circumstances or

feeling very far from any sense of belonging.

The Lord who was born in Bethlehem is the eternal Son, who always welcomes

us, and invites us to live with him. There is no beginning and no end to his love

for us. That runs in contrast to our tendency to believe that we earn God’s love,

that we are loved as part of a bargain whereby we do good things and God will

then care for us.

If we think of Jesus welcoming children we can bear in mind that they made no

bargains with him, in fact they had nothing to give him, but he loved them and

took them in his arms. When he says we too must be like children perhaps that

means we need to let go

of all of our supposed

bargaining-counters and

accept that God loves us

to bits; always has and

always will.

His rule is one of love

and acceptance and in a

season where

relationships are under

scrutiny to know that for

ourselves and to know

that for one another is

beyond price.

Monday 21 December

We come, to what perhaps is the most challenging part of the message to hope,

to rejoice and to look forward. The fact is, it very often feels like there is nothing

to hope for. When our faith is fragile, and we’re burdened by the weight of life’s

problems, words like “rejoice” seem to come from a totally alien perspective.

Even the word itself isn’t used much. Debt doesn’t rejoice much, grief doesn’t

rejoice, war doesn’t rejoice, cancer doesn’t either –the list goes on endlessly.

Keeping heart is hard, sometimes

it feels impossible. One thing we

know is that God realises this –

he’s been through it all, and

known worse along the way. We

can rail against it with all our

might, he’s still known far worse.

He offers us a way out – to the

people who walk in darkness, he

promises great light. For us, that

is now days away – all we need to

do is open our eyes and see it.

Tuesday 22 December

Therefore, although we know great, weighty troubles, there is cause for hope. If

we dare to let ourselves be open, there is light and beauty to be found even in the

coldest depths of winter. This will not change our circumstances, but if it gives

us a change of heart, then nothing will overcome us.

The King of kings is drawing near,

The saviour of the world is here.

O happy hearts and happy homes

To whom this King in triumph comes!

Fling wide the portals of your heart,

Make it a temple set apart

From earthly use for heaven’s employ

Adorned with prayer and love and joy.

Wednesday 23 December

See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord

whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. Malachi 3.1.

Malachi reminds us that even as we celebrate Jesus’ Birth we also bear in mind

at this season His Promised Return, what we call the Last Judgement. There are

often things in our lives that we know are amiss yet we constantly put off doing

anything about them. We are adept at finding all sorts of excuses to defer tackling

what may turn out to be a difficult or costly task.

Yet, quite simply, if there is something about which we think “I wouldn’t want

Jesus to find me like this” then this is the time to do something about it. Drop it,

get rid of it, cut it out, do

whatever is necessary.

Despite the excuses we

may make for the wrong

in our lives it is just that

– wrong, and has a

corrosive effect upon our

lives and well-being.

How many times do we

have to learn that what is

shiny and attractive,

seemingly warm and

pleasurable, is in reality

dark, dangerous and

deadly.

Not for nothing does the Devil masquerade as an angel of light. Let us act and

make the changes:

Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and

put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy

Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he

shall come again in his glorious Majesty, to judge both the living and the dead,

we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee

and the Holy Spirit, now and ever. Amen.

Christmas Eve Thursday 24 December

By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to

give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our

feet into the way of peace.’ Luke 1. 78-79.

A sad aspect of Christmas can be the fact that the celebration may have absences,

namely those we know who have died over the past year. A pall can be cast over

the celebrations when we think of those who are no longer with us. The memories

of past seasons of happiness and laughter can be hard to bear.

Instead of looking forward to Christmas, we dread it and hope it goes away as

fast as possible. Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, reminds us that we are not

alone or abandoned in our grief or fear. God regards us tenderly, lovingly and

with our good always in mind. God brings us light and hope in the darkness.

This comes from the love and care we show to one another, in moments during

the services we attend and in the ordinary course of each day. Something may

strike us to lift our spirits and give us an unexpected sense of peace. All of these

are ways in which God shows love towards us, and assures us that we are not

alone and there is hope.

Christmas Day Friday 25 December

But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to

become children of God. John 1. 12.

Hopefully, this is a season of welcomes – we welcome visitors to our homes and

we are welcomed by others. We look forward to being greeted, we don’t expect

to have the door shut in our faces, or even for it not to be opened at all.

The verse from the Gospel of John tells us that God welcomes us, the doors are

flung wide and we are drawn in to the party that is life with God. What we are

asked to do is to simply reply to the invitation that we get, to say “Yes” to the

offer God makes.

Oddly enough it is all too easy to say no – to forget what is at the heart of

Christmas and to rush on with other preoccupations. If we do this we miss out on

being gathered up by God, and thereby finding value, meaning and purpose.

It is the invitation to know God and all that comes from it that needs to be the

root of who we are and where we are. When it is everything else falls into place,

and knowing that we belong in such a marvellous way opens for us an adventure

of life, whose beginning we can truly celebrate this day.

www.standrewholborn.org.uk

mission@standrewholborn.org.uk

020 7583 7394 (office)