Sunday Worship - Advent Sunday
Everyone is most welcome to join us as we celebrate the beginning of a new Church Year on the first Sunday of Advent. Our services are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes' and 11 am at St Thomas', and although some of our Covid precautions remain in place for your safety we will still be able to sing some favourite Advent hymns and share refreshments after the service.
How very different it will be to last year, when Zoe and Louie lit the Advent candles in an empty church (see the picture below). We're all praying that it will not be necessary to close our churches again, and we ask that, if you are able to wear a face covering in church, you continue to do so and be kind to one another by observing safe distancing.
This morning's first hymn is "Longing for Light, We Wait in Darkness (Christ be our Light)
Today's Gospel
Luke 21:25-36 Signs of the End of the Age
Jesus said, "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
Then he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
"Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."
Reflection
As you can see from the heading of todays reflection, this week is the first week of the season of Advent. It is also the start of the new Church Year. I could wish you all a ‘Happy New Year, but I suspect after reading the Gospel passage you might be tempted to ask the question, “What’s so happy about it?”
It reminds me of old movies, usually westerns, (or cowboys and Indians films, as we used to call them when I was a young boy) - There would be a man in a dark suit walking up and down the street with a sandwich board on proclaiming “the end of the world is nigh!”. He would proclaim impending doom.
This contrasts with the experience of most people at this time when everyone is focussed on Christmas and looking forward to celebrations, presents and feasting. Indeed, since the beginning of November our TV screen and radios have been awash with well-known Christmas jingles and adverts.
For the studious among you, the word advent comes from Latin – with “ad” which means towards and ‘veni’ meaning ‘coming’. As Christians we are also focussed with hope on the coming of the ‘Light of Christ into our world’, as we prepare to celebrate the nativity and the incarnation of our Lord Jesus as a humble infant. So yes, it is right that we spend time during Advent focussing on the first coming of Christ two millennia ago. During the third and fourth weeks of Advent we look at just that. But for now, we are asked to look at the Second Coming of Christ as foretold in Daniel 7:13 and todays Gospel.
To some extent, the scene was already being set for us in the Gospel reading on Remembrance Sunday, [Mark 13: v1-8], where Jesus at the Mount of Olives, begins to describe the signs of the end of the age “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains”.
He is not describing what is imminent but what will happen before his second coming. Similarly, Luke is setting the scene when writes about what Jesus tells his disciples about the end of the world and the signs that will be a precursor to his coming again.
It might not be unreasonable for us to look at current events and think we too are at the brink of the end of the world. We see endless wars across the globe and are worried about terrorist acts in our own country. There news stories about floods, drought, wildfires, hurricanes and earthquakes. Then to put the icing on the cake, there is the very real threat of climate catastrophe and adverse impacts of global warming.
However, in past years people have also looked at their own times and read into events that the we are near that time. In some our lifetimes been other natural disasters – earthquakes and tsunamis, World Wars, the cold war with the threat of nuclear annihilation and numerous wars in the Middle East which is after all bible country.
As has always been the case, we don’t have to look too hard to see signs but that doesn’t necessarily mean it be tomorrow. It is not for us to know exactly when that time will be, only God knows that. But for Christians there is a far more positive message amongst all these portents of doom. Jesus did not say this as a threat to us – so that we would walk through our lives with foreboding and gloom.
Jesus’s parable of the fig tree enables us to understand that if we can see the signs, then we can interpret them. Just as we can predict the coming of summer and new growth when we see new shoots and leaves. As with Jesus first coming, the signs are our hope and reassurance that God has not abandoned us, that God cares for us, he loves us and he notices us. He takes part in our daily lives.
His return will not be catastrophic for believers because his return will usher in their redemption. It will be a time for hope, anticipation and glory. Jesus is telling us to watch out for the signs of his return, so like when the fig tree has new growth we know to prepare for summer, when we begin to see the signs of his second coming, we have time to prepare and be alert. We need to “stand up and raise our heads” and "Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life”
In the meantime, we must work as disciples and spread the Good News and love of God. We must love one another and play our role in the community. We must continue to prepare for Christ’s return. We must be ready, because he could return at any time. The promise of his return offers us hope, that is the promise and good news of the Advent signs.
There’s certainly a lot to think about during this Advent season – I hope you can find a little time amongst the chaos to reflect on all that it means over the coming few weeks.
Paul
Our Prayers
