Our minister The Reverend Jo Clare-Young (she/her)

Ministers Letter Advent 2022

Dear Friends,

Over the years I have named a few of my cars 'advent' - because most of my cars have been old and therefore slow! The advent journey must be taken slowly, there can be a lot of waiting involved and, like the driver of a vintage car, we must always approach the journey with the hope of arrival, optimistic expectation, but no certainty at all!

Slow can be a good thing, particularly this time of year. When Christmas decorations seem to hit the shops in September, it can be easy to miss the beauty of Advent if we don’t go slow. This is one of the times that the journey is just as important as the destination; we must resist our 21^st Century urge to rush towards the goal of Christmas. Otherwise we may arrive at our destination unprepared, flustered and scrooge like.

Advent is a time of light and dark intermingling. It is the time we wait, not passively, not sitting counting the minutes, but actively, thinking and preparing ourselves and our world for both the celebration of Christs birth, but also the future coming of the Kin(g)dom, Christs return. Waiting is never easy, but if we use the time to prepare our hearts, through prayer and scripture, then we will arrive at Christmas refreshed, full of hope and joy.

The tree can wait, the decorations can wait, the sprouts do not need to go a week in advance. The good news is that the gift giving can start early, that for me is part of advent, part of waiting actively. Give the gifts of time and love. Make time to have a coffee with someone who needs company, smile at a stranger, phone a friend. Create one of those tiny glimpses of Gods kingdom.

May your Advent be peaceful, be slow, be hope filled. May your Christmas bring you joy, love, laughter and socks. And if you see a small silver car broken down on the A1066, stop and give me lift!

Peace

Jo