December OUTLOOK
Greetings and salutations, I send to Southill, Broom Stanford, and Ireland! I pray that you and yours are well.
Christmas is but a few weeks away. Before we get there, however, we must journey through the much understood season of Advent. Advent, like Lent before Easter, is a season of quiet reflection and meditation, a season of purple and of minimalism. Over the years, Christmas carols have snuck in too soon, proclaiming a great message that hasn’t yet been re-enacted on the 24th/25th of December. Shops/ shoppes/ siops are full of Christmas fare and music traditionally withheld for the Twelve Days of Christmas. Slowly, over the years, commercialism and consumerism have crept further and further into Advent until now, right after the Eve of All Saints’ Day (secularly known as Halloween) and a full month before Advent, Christmas arrives in full colour and splendour – two months before we celebrate Jesus’ birth!
Advent is a season devoid of colour. It is season without leaves on the trees or flowers, a season where light truly struggles with darkness. We often feel the same struggle in our own lives; we can get beaten by the darkness and can’t wait for a bit of light or warmth. That is exactly a Christian’s longing. While living in this world, we are constantly fighting darkness, struggling for a bit of colour and warmth in our lives, especially as summer fades to autumn and autumn to winter. What we need is a spark of hope, a ray of light, something to save us from the darkness… So, we wait with eager longing for that day when it will finally come to us. Christmas! The bible tells us that Jesus is the Christ, the Saviour of the World. That period of waiting is what we keep as Advent. By properly keeping Advent, Christmas becomes absolutely glorious and radiant in comparison. Without a season of quiet reflection and minimal flourish before hand, we lose all sense of the awe and wonder that Christmas offers us.
One recent Advent tradition that we keep, to remind us of the countdown, is the Advent Wreath. It is a recent development, having only been in use now about two to four hundred years. We use one in All Saints’ Church each Advent. The candles are purple, pink, and white; three purple for weeks 1,2, & 4, a pink candle for week 3, and a white candle for Christmas Day. We also fight against the darkness with a Christingle Service, using a candle to represent the Light of the World, while raising much needed money to save many children from much darkness. We use candles at our Carol Service and at the Christmas Eve Communion Service. Please join us for any of our services. You are most welcome!
I pray that God will bless you this Christmas-tide (season), that He will be with you, and that He will encourage you to come and celebrate His love for us. Even if you cannot make it, please know that we are praying for you and yours.
God Bless You!
Mark-Aaron +