Dear friends,
Welcome to our latest update, including a copy of my Advent Sunday sermon from Sunday morning, and the readings we had at St Mary’s, Goathland. I’m still working through lots of messages since I returned from holiday on Saturday, so please bear with me if you’re waiting for a reply from me to a specific query. I’ll be in touch as soon as I can.
All our Advent and Christmas events and services have now been added to our website. Over the next few days there’s a lot of exciting things happening! Here’s links to further information on the website:-
Tonight
6:30 Sharing Space in Egton at The Nurseries
This is a special time for sharing our thoughts about ‘the language of faith’ - it’s being hosted by Jenny and Tony Stocking this week.
Tomorrow
9:00 Holy Communion in Goathland at The Bield
This is a new weekly experiment for December and January - a contemplative and informal service of Holy Communion in Brenda Lealman’s home in Goathland.
Thursday
10:30-3:00 Community Space: Vi's Community Cafe at St Matthew's
1:30-2:30 Play Space at St Matthew's
6:30 Christmas Pub Quiz in Egton at The Witching Post Inn
I do hope to see you at some of those if you are free. Please email us - [email protected] - for any additional details needed.
All this busyness is wonderful! But quite different from our tranquil time last week on Holy Island. The photo in today's header is of Malkie, behaving himself for a change…
I’ll be in touch again as we approach the weekend with details of our events and services coming up on Sunday and into next week.
With all good wishes,
Anthony
Collect Prayer for Advent Sunday
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
1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Mark 13:24-end
‘But in those days, after that suffering, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in clouds” with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
‘From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
‘But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.’
Sermon
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts together be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our rock, and redeemer. Amen.
Today, Advent Sunday, is the first day of the new church year and the beginning of a new season, a season of waiting and watching for the coming of Jesus. Advent is the time to prepare our hearts and minds for the celebration of Christmas. ‘Christ’ and ‘mas’ are two Latin words. ‘Christ’ is Jesus; the Son; Immanuel, God-with-us. ‘Mas’ means to go into the world. The first Christmas, then, 2050 years ago, was the time when God chose to go into the world. So, Christmas is the time, each year, when we remember how God became one of us: Immanuel, Jesus, our Saviour, the Son of Mary, the Christ-child.
However, Advent is also the time to look forward to the second coming of Jesus. We look forward to the time when Jesus returns in glory to judge the living and the dead, and to make all things new. Both readings today remind us of each aspect of Advent: the past and the future, the first and the second comings of Jesus.
In our gospel reading from Mark, Jesus tells his disciples to be alert and watchful, for they don’t know when, Jesus, the Son of Man, will come back. He uses the image of a fig tree, which grows leaves when summer is near. We spot the leaves starting to grow; we see the signs of the end times around us: the end times being the period between the first and the second coming, the period in which we’re living. We don’t know how long the second coming will be, 2050 years, 3000 years, 30000 years? Only God knows.
In our Gospel reading Jesus also uses the image of a wealthy man who goes away on a journey. He leaves his servants in charge of his house, each with their own work to do. The wealthy man instructs his doorkeeper to be on the watch. He says, “Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.” We need to keep watch; to stay awake!
In our first reading from 1 Corinthians, Paul greets the new church in Corinth with grace and peace. He thanks God for the gifts they have received, and he assures them that God will strengthen them to the end. He says to them, “[this is] so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
I think that both of these readings challenge us to look at how we live in the present, in the light of the past and the future. Some questions for you to ponder:
How are we preparing for the coming of Jesus, both at his birth as a tiny baby, and at his return?
How are we using the gifts of grace that God has bestowed upon us?
How are we staying awake and alert to the signs of the times?
How are we sharing the good news of Jesus with one another and with our communities?
As some of you may know, I spent the last week with my wife Sam and our two dogs, Meru and Malkie, on Holy Island, just off the coast of Northumberland, not too far from Berwick-upon-Tweed. It’s also known as Lindisfarne.
Holy Island is recognised as one of the most important centres of early English Christianity. Irish monks settled there in the 7th century and founded a monastery that became an active centre of learning, art and creativity. It was there that St. Aidan, the first bishop of Lindisfarne, preached the gospel to the people of Northumbria. He trained many priests who went out from Holy Island to spread the Christian faith throughout England and beyond.
St. Cuthbert, the greatest of the Lindisfarne saints, lived on Holy Island as a monk, a hermit, and a bishop. He’s said to have performed many miracles, healing others.
It was on Holy Island that St. Eadfrith, the bishop of Lindisfarne, created the Lindisfarne Gospels, a wonderful, illuminated manuscript, which is now one of the treasures in the British Library.
It was there that St. Eadberht, the successor of Eadfrith, led the community through a very challenging period, when the Viking raids eventually forced them to leave the island and take the relics of St. Cuthbert with them.
As we walked round the island, visited the ruins of the priory, and prayed in the parish church, I became very aware of the enduring legacy of these Celtic saints. I’m inspired by their faith, their courage, their creativity, and their love for others. But I’m also challenged by their example of how to live generally, and specifically how to live in Advent. The Lindisfarne saints lived in a time of uncertainty and change, a time when the future was unknown and surviving from day to day was often incredibly dangerous. They faced many threats and challenges. They had to deal with political turmoil, cultural clashes, church disputes, and Viking invasions. They had to adapt to new situations, learn new languages, and embrace new people. They had to balance all the different aspects of their lives: their personal and communal commitments, their spiritual and material needs.
They didn’t lose hope or faith. They didn’t give up or give in. They didn’t become complacent. They didn’t forget or neglect their calling. They kept awake and alert. They prepared for the coming of Jesus, both at his birth as a tiny baby, and at his return. They used the gifts of grace that God had bestowed upon them. They shared the fellowship of Jesus with one another and with the world.
They enriched their faith, they shared their experiences, and they knew their Lord.
Enriching, sharing, knowing: we’ve used those three words to encapsulate our purpose and mission here in Middle ESK Moor.
E-S-K: enriching, sharing, knowing.
That’s what I invite us all to do, as we enter into this season of Advent. Let’s learn from the Celtic saints of Holy Island, how to live in Advent.
Let’s enrich our lives, by exploring our faith further: studying the Bible, praying regularly, worshipping regularly, going along to one of our new ‘spaces’ – to build fellowship and community creatively with each other.
Let’s also share our experiences, by telling our stories, by listening to each other, by serving our communities.
And let’s get to know our Lord more deeply, as the Holy Island saints did, by following Jesus’ example, by obeying his commands, by trusting his promises, by awaiting his return as we seek to love all those around us.
Let’s pray. Lord Jesus, you are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. You came to us in humility and grace, as a tiny baby born in a manger. You will come to us again in power and glory. Help us to prepare for your coming, both in your birth and in your return. Help us to stay awake and alert, to use the gifts of grace that you have poured out upon us, to share the fellowship that you’ve called us into. Help us to enrich our lives, to share our experiences, and to know you as our Lord and Saviour. Amen.
The Reverend Anthony Bennett
Interim Minister – the Benefice of Middle ESK Moor
middleESKmoor.org
---
These two books, edited by Jane Williams, are continuing to be very helpful with planning my sermon writing:
Williams, J (2009), Ed., ‘Lost for Words, A Sermon Resource for the Anglican Three Year Cycle,’ Redemptorist Publications, Chawton, UK.
Williams, J (2011), Ed., ‘Lectionary Reflections, Years A, B and C.’ Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, London, UK.