Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Advent, the season of waiting and preparation, is probably one of the hardest places to be in. When we wait for something, either good or bad, our minds are alive with the possibilities and probabilities. Our minds turn over with the worry of anticipation.
If we are anticipating our advent and Christmas services we can angst over whether people will come, if we have got the tone right, if it will work. We are alive to all the joy we can get yet still can fear the worst.
If we are dreading something, if we fear bad news is coming around the corner we worry over what the impact will be and crucially will we have the strength to cope.
This is only natural. The anxiety spurs us to do our best and to think all things through. Without it a lazy complacency kicks in and that’s when problems occur. If we face a difficult situation then we can often find that living through it gives us the strength. The problem is still there but we cope. In God’s strength and in God’s love we cope.
Advent reminds us of that as we prepare for the joy of Christmas. The Gospel reading for Advent Sunday directly tackles this. Luke 21.25-36 starts in a state of deep, universal terror “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken”. It is far from the cosy picture postcard portrayal of faith we love to proclaim. It speaks of the fear that the presence of God instils in the minds of the world. Throughout the Old Testament the picture of God in heaven is both awe inspiring and terrifying. The powerful book of Revelation portrays God in a strong, powerful testament. Gabriel invoked terror for Mary, the shepherds quaked at the heavenly hosts who sang of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem.
Yet even in that moment of terror God spoke to calm. Do not be afraid is an often-repeated message by God’s messengers reflected in the words of Jesus who calmed the storms and urged his followers to not worry.
I know this year has been an anxious one. In our churches, across the Church of England we continue to grapple with how we grow spiritually, missionally and financially. You know our plans for this and I have spoken about this in other letters. I will return to the technical details early in the New Year but this letter is not the place to go through that again.
We also minister to people who can be anxious. The global conflicts, the stresses over winter heating, cost of living, job insecurity and more can weigh heavily on the hearts of our communities.
God calls us to have hope. As you know the hope of Christmas rests in the incarnation, that God comes among us and walks with us on our journeys through life calming our fears and bringing us towards the joy of His birth and second coming.
I await the coming of Christ with a sense of joy rather than fear. The joy of the shepherds, the Magi, and above all the Holy Family of coming into contact with God’s radical promise for the world – God’s son Jesus.
Advent is a time of waiting but it is a busy time. Increased services, a multitude of visits, pressure from those around us create a busy noise as we progress towards December 25th. It is a time when we can cave in to those pressures or we can turn around and show the joy we have in knowing a God who loves us as we wait for God’s return. So let’s find that joy for ourselves, the calm for ourselves and in claiming it for ourselves offer it as a gift to a world that really needs joy.
Have a blessed advent and a joyous Christmas,
Bishop John
