Dear Friends,
I went for a walk on a Sunday afternoon, the sun was shining and it was amazingly warm. But it was the middle of November, unseasonable weather. I passed lots of people as I plodded my path, yet I must have seemed a strange sight - no dog. I was out enjoying the beauty of the countryside and giving myself time to look at what was about me and to take time to just think.
At this time of the year we are usually experiencing the beginning of winter which makes us aware that Christmas is coming. But this year Advent seems to have crept up on us almost unnoticed.
In the rush of modern life it is too easy to get caught up in all the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations that we forget what is happening. The decorating to do, food to buy and prepare, music to be practiced, cleaning to be completed and all those presents to buy and cards to send in time for Christmas day. And if we are not too careful Christmas becomes a fraught time of hurt feelings, impatience and injured egos where the true essence is lost in the commercialism of expectation.
The four-week pre-Christmas season is a special one. Worth taking the time to step back from our busy world to contemplate what is really important. A time of spiritual preparation for Christ's coming. A time of quiet anticipation. A time to reawaken the memory of the God who became a child. A time to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and of hope. A time for prayer.
And then on Christmas Day take time to ensure that despite our busy preparations for the celebration of Christ's birth that Christ is reborn in our own homes and our own lives. Take time to slow down, be still and be awake to the wonder of God.
May the peace and hope of the season be with you all.
Some signs and symptoms of The Advent Virus (author unknown):
Anne Scarff
December 2011