Opening music – I look from afar – Matin Responsory
The season of Advent is upon us
The coming of Christ is near.
Into the darkness of our world
God’s light breaks in
HYMN StF 180 O Come, O come, Immanuel
1 O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.
2 O come, O come, O Lord of might
who to your tribes, on Sinai’s height,
in ancient times did give the law
in cloud, and majesty, and awe:
3 O come, O Rod of Jesse, free
your own from Satan’s tyranny;
from depths of hell your people save,
and give them victory o’er the grave:
4 O come, O Key of David, come,
and open wide our heavenly home;
make safe the way that leads on high,
and close the path to misery:
5 O come, O Day-spring, come and cheer
our spirits by your advent here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death’s dark shadows put to flight:
Latin, 18th century, based on the ancient Advent Antiphons
translated by John Mason Neale (1811–1866) Reproduced from Singing the Faith Electronic Words Edition, number 180 .
Reading Jeremiah 33:14-16
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfil the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’
We light the first candle for all who wait in darkness
The candle is lit
Collect (©TMCP)
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness
and to put on the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life,
in which your Son Jesus Christ
came to us in great humility:
that, on the last day,
when he shall come again in his glorious majesty
to judge the living and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal;
through him who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Prayer of Confession (Peter Smith)
Let us Confess our sins
Silence
For the times when we have preferred the darkness to the light
Loving God forgive us
For the times when our noise has drowned out the song of the angles
Loving God forgive us
For the time when we have denied hope to others
Loving God forgive us
Silence
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
Hear then the good news, our sins are forgiven. Amen
Reading 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith.
Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.
Psalm 25: 1-10
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, in you I trust;
do not let me be put to shame;
do not let my enemies exult over me.
Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.
Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for your goodness’ sake, O Lord!
Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
He leads the humble in what is right,
and teaches the humble his way.
All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
Reading Luke 21: 25-36
‘There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in a cloud” with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’
Then he told them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
‘Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.’
HYMN StF 172 Hills of the north, rejoice
1 Hills of the north, rejoice,
river and mountain-spring,
hark to the advent voice;
valley and lowland, sing.
Christ comes in righteousness and love,
he brings salvation from above.
2 Isles of the southern seas,
sing to the listening earth;
carry on every breeze
hope of a world’s new birth:
in Christ shall all be made anew;
his word is sure, his promise true.
3 Lands of the east, arise!
He is your brightest morn;
greet him with joyous eyes,
let praise his path adorn:
your seers have longed to know their Lord;
to you he comes, the final Word.
4 Shores of the utmost west,
lands of the setting sun,
welcome the heavenly guest
in whom the dawn has come:
he brings a never-ending light,
who triumphed o’er our darkest night.
5 Shout, as you journey on;
songs be in every mouth!
Lo, from the north they come,
from east and west and south:
in Jesus all shall find their rest,
in him the universe be blest.
Charles Ernest Oakley (1832–1865) and Editors of English Praise, 1975
Reproduced from Singing the Faith Electronic Words Edition, number 172
Words: ©
Reflection
When I was still training as a local preacher (over 40 years ago) I was planned to preach on the first Sunday in Advent. I wrote a sermon focusing on the second coming and the final judgement. Fortunately, it was never preached. Those responsible for my training rolled their eyes, in the nicest possible way, and challenged me to write a sermon that reflected what I actually believed rather than what I thought I was expected to say. To take up the great themes of Advent – of expectant hope and joy, of making ready, of justice and peace.
Certainly, for the early Church, there was an expectation that Jesus would return soon. And eschatological (the end times) writings and ways of thinking were popular. We have over the last circa two thousand years had to modify our ways of thinking. Clearly a simple reading of Gospel, that not all who heard Jesus would be die before he came again doesn’t hold, and attempts to explain it can tie us in knots – the best is that the Church will be here to see and bear witness.
Unfortunately, there are those who are obsessed with the idea of the second coming and the final judgement and take passages like that from Luke quite literally, almost to the exclusion of anything else. They see in the events in the world the signs that the end is nigh – wars, famines, disease and economic distress – and sometimes seem to welcome them because of what they believe will come after.
Well this year there seems to be more of it about this year than ever! Some Christians (and I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt or leaving judgement to God here) see in Donald Trump God’s anointed one. I rather liked this meme:
And it would be tempting to respond with a quote from the life of Brian: “ He’s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy”. Except, that Brian was basically an innocent abroad caught up in the misplaced enthusiasm of others. Whereas Trump seeks to exploit the weaknesses and gullibility of others for his own ends, encouraged and supported by those in positions of leadership who should know better. Where is the discernment? How can anyone see in Trump the embodiment of Christian values? The love of God and of neighbour?
The actions of any individual or state that jeopardise peace and deny justice cannot be of God. So, in that I would include Putin, and acts of terrorism by Hamas and war crimes committed by the Israeli Government. Ethnic cleansing by anyone or any state is to be abhorred.
The language and imagery we have in the Bible about a new Jerusalem and God’s eternal rule based there, is I believe inviting us to envisage a world that is changed and transformed by God’s love, grace and mercy, and our part in upholding it as we love God and Love our neighbour.
O hush your noise
The Methodist Church has invited us this year to explore the theme: Hush your noise and hear the angels song. To make space within the next few weeks amidst the clamour and frantic pace of preparations for Christmas to be still and listen to what God is saying to us.
But what are those angel voices saying?
We can see the themes that emerge as we light our candles each week: The light in the darkness illuminating us and the world, revealing truth; prophets, messengers of God who speak truth to power; those like John the Baptist who prepare the way, lay the foundations; and Mary who embraces and accepts God’s calling. All leading us to God’s revelation of God’s self in Christ, Emmanuel – God with us.
Those themes celebrate the voices and the messages that we have already discerned as coming from God.
But what are those angel voices saying to us now? And how do we distinguish them from all the other voices that seek to influence and pursued us?
One of the thankless tasks on social media is checking the validity of what is being said or claimed. It’s easy if you know the fight person to ask. In the midst of COVID I saw a post that seemed nonsense to me. A quick email to Keith Paver (a virologist) asking: “is this true or just rubbish?” quickly gained the response rubbish (followed later by why).
In the realm of politics, in the struggle for justice and equality, untruths are lobed out as if they are facts. The truth dismissed as “well they would say that” or “the traditional media just lie to you”. Sources are not given. And anyway, anything that seeks inclusion is dismissed as woke. Which is odd, because Jesus seemed to have praised those who were awake and vigilant.
You recall the saying: “A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can get its boots on” attributed to various people. Well, I can’t help wondering if we need to get truth out there unadorned – naked and bare footed – not dressed up in anyway. It seems like truth needs a new publicity campaign.
Why does this matter? Because the lies that told and repeated and spread become the way in which people see the world. It matters to us as follows of Christ because the lies get in the way of the promotion of justice and peace. They drown out the message of the Angels.
We are called to be a justice seeking Church, to follow Christ. That means working for justice for those we like and for those we don’t – all of whom we are called to love.
The pausing to hear how God is calling us to do that is important. The pausing to listen to the voices of the oppressed and marginalised, those who face daily discrimination and those who live in fear, is critical to informing our words and actions.
But hush your noise should not be confused with shut up and don’t say anything. Taking time to hear, to reflect, to become informed is about preparing ourselves follow Christ more closely. To strive for the sake of God’s Kingdom of justice and joy.
In contributing to the Circuit Advent booklet, I have reflected on Mary’s song (the Magnificat) and how that offers a very different vision for how our world should be. No spoilers – but if we lived it, could we really transform the world?
Having hushed our noise, we should be ready to speak and to act. But it can be exhausting. Taking on, on one hand the flat earth, six day creationists with a literal and uncritical approach to the Bible with a rigid opposition to equality, diversity or inclusion and on the other hand those who exploit others for their own ends (the rich and powerful?), and also peddle untruths.
It is no wonder that at times we feel like we can’t do anything, its pointless. Why bother? Because … a poem to help us think:
Despair and Hope (©Peter Smith 2024)
In a world of war and want,
With the violent and selfish in ascendant,
We struggle to maintain the fight for justice and peace.
For thick darkness engulfs us
And we can no longer “rage against the dying of the light”.
Exhausted, we retreat to our safe places,
Slamming the door against the world.
Yet God will not let us alone.
Calls us out onto the mountain side
that again, we may hear God speak.
Not in the earthquake, wind or fire
but in the “the sound of shear silence”
Pause
And having heard,
for the sake of justice and peace,
and with the Spirit’s aid
we dare to place our hand in the hand of hope,
and step into the darkness,
to bring God’s light to
all God’s children. Amen
HYMN StF 713 Show me how to stand for justice
1 Show me how to stand for justice:
how to work for what is right,
how to challenge false assumptions,
how to walk within the light.
May I learn to share more freely
in a world so full of greed,
showing your immense compassion
by the life I choose to lead.
2 Teach my heart to treasure mercy,
whether given or received —
for my need has not diminished
since the day I first believed:
let me seek no satisfaction
boasting of what I have done,
but rejoice that I am pardoned
and accepted in your Son.
3 Gladly I embrace a lifestyle
modelled on your living word,
in humility submitting
to the truth which I have heard.
Make me conscious of your presence
every day in all I do:
by your Spirit’s gracious prompting
may I learn to walk with you.
Martin Leckebusch (b. 1962) Reproduced from Singing the Faith Electronic Words Edition, number 713
Words: © 1999, Kevin Mayhew Ltd, Buxhall, Stowmarket, Suffolk IP14 3BW Used by permission.
Prayer of thanksgiving (Peter Smith)
Loving God we give you thanks that in Jesus you came into our dark world bringing hope and light for all people.
That through the mystery of the incarnation you shared the immensity of your love with us.
We give you thanks that when all seems lost and hopeless, you do not give up on us but call us out from our safe places to hear you speak again in the sound of sheer silence.
We thank you for this time of Advent, when we can prepare once more to celebrate your birth. As we explore the themes of hope and light, love and peace, may they become a way of being for us all so that we may be a blessing to the world. In Jesus name, Amen.
Prayers of intercession (Companion to the Revised Common Lectionary vol 1 – Christine Odell)
Loving God, we pray for those who are looking forward to better times:
for nations at war who long for peace;
for the hungry, awaiting food;
for the oppressed, envisaging a shift in power;
for the sick, seeking healing and health.
We pray for . . .
Silence
Loving God, hear our prayers.
You are God our Saviour. In you we put our hope
Loving God, we pray for those who believe there is nothing to which they can look forward:
for those who long only for times past;
for those who are lonely or depressed;
for those who feel their lives are stories of failure;
for those are chronically or terminally ill.
Silence
Loving God, hear our prayers.
You are God our Saviour. In you we put our hope
Loving God, we pray for ourselves, that we may be a forward looking people:
ready to respond to each new vision that you give us
ready to hear your word for us today
ready to be renewed by your Holy Spirit;
ready to walk Bodley into the future with Christ.
Silence
Loving God, hear our prayers.
You are God our Saviour. In you we put our hope
In the name of Jesus Christ, the Lord of righteousness, who came to bring the light into our darkness. Amen
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory
are yours now and for ever.
HYMN StF 177 Lo he comes with clouds descending
1 Lo, he comes with clouds descending,
once for favoured sinners slain;
thousand thousand saints attending
swell the triumph of his train:
Alleluia!
God appears on earth to reign.
2 Every eye shall now behold him
robed in glorious majesty;
we who set at nought and sold him,
pierced and nailed him to the tree,
deeply wailing,
shall the true Messiah see.
3 Those dear tokens of his passion
still his dazzling body bears;
cause of endless exultation
to his ransomed worshippers:
with what rapture
gaze we on those glorious scars.
4 Sing, amen, let all adore thee,
high on thine eternal throne;
Saviour, take the power and glory,
claim the kingdom for thine own:
come, Lord Jesus!
Everlasting God, come down!
Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
Reproduced from Singing the Faith Electronic Words Edition, number 177 .
Blessing (Common Worship)
Christ the Sun of Righteousness shine upon you,
scatter the darkness from before your path,
and make you ready to meet him when he comes in glory;
and the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be upon you now and forever. Amen.
Closing music My Lord! What a morning.
