I love it each year when I see our Advent wreath being hung. Take a look at this year. It’s full of greenery, berries and fruits. Occasionally some golden colours are hidden. It’s all given to excite us about the coming Feast of Christmas. The thing I like most, however, it the fact that our lights on the Advent wreath remain lit 24/7 so that when anyone visits the church the lights are aglow. Why? To remind us that Advent renews our Joyful hope. There are two reasons for this:-
- Advent reminds us that God has not abandoned his people. The promise to return remains true and faithful – like God – that he will come and save his faithful people. Of course with the busyness of life and our own preoccupations we can become less interested in his return and more self-interested. Advent is a wake up call that there are more important things that we should be concerned about. To help us understand this throughout the Advent cycle of readings the call is to joyful hope (not fear) in the one who is to come.
- The actual remembering of the Feast of Christmas (the second reason for our joyful hope) reminds us that God in Christ has broken into our fallen world and filled it with “a new and radiant hope” – it comes through the incarnation, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. His life gives us new purpose and new meaning – and encourages us to a life based on and filled with his loving presence. The resurrection is the promise of life eternal and of his return to bring us home.
As Advent approaches, may I commend to you ‘Walk with me’. This is a useful devotional booklet for each day during Advent and Christmas.
May this Advent renew our ‘Joyful hope’ in him, whose love brings us together, our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
With every Blessing,
Father David Jennings
PARISH PRIEST