This morning we will light the second candle on our Advent wreath as we continue this season of preparation, waiting and anticipation which many in the church know as Advent. [See last week's reflection here]. This week I will be taking an Advent assembly in a local Church of England primary school - so I have been swotting up on the various traditional themes for Advent - week 2 (relying on those ever reliable and accurate sources: Google and Wikipedia). A common theme for the second week in Advent is 'Peace', which, given events over the past weeks seems very appropriate and much in need. As we read the papers, watch the television, browse the internet and listen to the radio, peace is one thing that seems in very short supply in our world. Whether it's civil war, terrorist atrocities, civilians caught up in a refugee crisis, laser guided bombing campaigns, domestic violence, stabbings or shooting on our streets - it seems as though peace is something we could all do with this Christmas. This week, following on from events in Paris, the news here has been full of the decision taken by MPs to extend air strikes to sites within Syria. Much has been said and broadcast on both sides of the debate this week. But it seems to me that there are many who see the options as either bombing or doing nothing. As if the only response to what we've seen in Paris and in other cities around the world is a military option. And if you don't fight back you're you're accused of doing nothing or even worse - accused of being in sympathy with those who seek to bring fear through violence. It's as if everything we tell our children about their behaviour in the playground no longer applies when it comes to the world stage. [If you want to think a bit more about how we should be thinking about our response to what's going on in Iraq and Syria here is a very interesting article written by Alan Storkey.] Advent reminds us that the good news didn't begin and end with the birth of a special baby. The story goes back much further than that, and it moves forward to involve the life of this baby who became a man. A man who suffered a violent death. But even his death, or resurrection, isn't the end of the story. Even a casual reading of this life, this story, opens up to us the possibility of an alternative to hostility. For Jesus was continually surprising his opponents (and his followers). Repeatedly his opponents engineered situations which they hoped would force Jesus into one of two responses - only for him to take an alternative they had not even thought of. Whilst we may not personally find ourselves in a situation where we are having to consider and then vote on whether or not to drop bombs, we will certainly find ourselves in situations where we have choices to make which may or may not lead towards peace and reconciliation. Whether it's something we say or something we do - will our actions escalate or defuse? Let's ask God for his wisdom in knowing how to act so that we are peacemakers this week. May God also give us wisdom in knowing how to stand up and protest in ways that are non violent when we see inaction and injustice in our community and in our world.
This coming Sunday will be the final in our current series at CBC - 'From Sinai to the Promised Land'. These last two Sundays have been spent in the final chapters of Deuteronomy, the last book in the Torah. Here's another great video from the brilliant people at 'The Bible Project'. If you get a chance to look at it before Sunday it will give you a good overview of the story so far, and the layout of Deuteronomy in particular.
As we finish this series we leave the People of Israel at the borders of the Promised Land - a place they had been once before. Moses is dead, Joshua is now leading the people... What will happen next? We'll pick up the story again on Sunday 4th September - but before then we have an exciting series looking at the Kingdom of God coming up straight after Christmas.
On Sunday the young people did a great job of leading our service based on Deuteronomy 31:1-8, and thinking about God's desire for his people and for Joshua - that they are not afraid of what is to come, but instead put all their trust in God. We offered our fears to God on pieces of paper and saw them burn up before our eyes - a visual representation of handing over those things that we worry about and then choosing not to have to worry about them any more - instead putting our trust in the God who has promised to be beside us. And like so much of our new life as Christians this is probably going to be a daily struggle and choice. It is unlikely to be a once and for all choice - it would be great if it was. But for many of us I expect each day will bring its worries and we have to choose to trust God and ask him to graciously take away our fear.
There's a great story in the Old Testament about a man called Elisha. One day Elisha wakes up early and with his servant they look out and see that the city they are in is surrounded by enemy soldiers and chariots. The servant panics but Elisha tells him "don't be afraid - those who are with us are more than those who are with them". Then in response to Elisha's prayer God opens the eyes of Elisha's servant to see what Elisha can see - to catch a glimpse of the spiritual dimension. Then the servant looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around. You'll find the story in 2 Kings 6:8-23.
Yesterday morning at CBC we lit the first candle on our 'Advent wreath'.
For those of you who were not there yesterday - this photo looks nothing like our 'wreath'. It's more of a five pronged candle holder. But as I grew up in churches that hardly acknowledged Advent at all - this is clearly progress! Given that I have no history with Advent it is perhaps ironic that this past week I spoke at a mixed group of Baptists, Anglicans and Catholics on the subject of Advent and will be taking an Advent assembly next week at a local C of E primary school. So what is Advent? Advent is traditionally a time of waiting and preparation for Christmas. It is recognising and identifying with God's people of old who waited for the coming of the Messiah - and it is also a recognition of the fact that as God's people today we wait for the Second Coming - and we prepare our hearts in the light of this truth. Many of these Old Testament prophesies looking forward to the birth of Jesus are providing hope for a better future - things will not always be the way they currently are. God is going to intervene in history. He is going to rescue his people. But there were still hundreds of years of waiting. In many church traditions the first candle on the Advent wreath is the candle of hope and is linked to the OT prophets. For hundreds of years the faithful lived in hope that God was going to intervene - and then he did - in a totally unexpected and surprising way. And we continue to live in this sense of expectation. For although we have the promise that God is with us now, and that we do experience God working now, and that lives are being transformed now - there is also this longing, this expectation, this hope that things are not always going to be the way they are. There were many times in Israel's history when they were comfortable and therefore there was no need to look ahead to a better future. These were often the times when the people turned their backs on God and went their own way. During Jesus' life he repeatedly came up against those who wanted to maintain the status quo rather than embrace a new future. As we wait for Christmas are we filled with a longing and an expectation and a hope for the future? Yesterday morning our young people did a great job of taking the service and one of the songs that we sang was new to me a few months ago but is rapidly becoming one of my all time favourites (i.e. songs that are on the list to be sung at my funeral).
I believe in the resurrection - that we will rise again - for I believe in the name of Jesus.
