Scripture‘But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34 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. 35 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, 36 or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.’ (Mark 13 32-37)ReflectionHow often do we remind ourselves that Advent is a season of waiting, longing and preparation and then realise how hard it can be to hang on to that spiritual meaning of the season? All around us are the trappings of Christmas with its different kinds of waiting, longing and preparation which usually overshadow the true meaning of Advent - it’s not that it is wrong to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ - far from it. But Advent is a time to prepare for the second coming of Christ the King even though we do not know when or how he will return. Jesus tells us that this does not matter, our job is to be ready, doing what God has called us to do with the gifts he has given us. Sharing those gifts with each other in love with the help of the Holy Spirit to bring about God’s Kingdom on earth. Lyn Hayes ALM
Scripture:‘When He had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place they called the Mount of Olives, He sent two of the disciples saying "Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt. Untie it and bring it here." If anyone asks you, "Why are you untying it?", just say this: "The Lord needs it".’ (Luke 19, 29-34)Reflection:What a strange 3 years Jesus' disciples had had! They were lads who had been called away from their jobs, walked thousands of miles following Jesus as he did all manner of weird things. They watched him calm storms, walk on water, multiply bread and fish, cast out demons, and heal broken bodies.They had become friends who argued from time to time, probably shared inside jokes, didn't understand a lot of things, but they had come to a place of trust in Jesus where they simply accepted yet another of his strange requests without question - essentially to go and 'borrow' someone else's donkey! . They had no idea if the owner would be around, how he might react or what they would have to do - the whole thing was tinged with thrilling possibility!You could say one thing about the disciples and their life lived with Jesus - it was never boring. Yes, it was filled with as much beauty, awe and wonder, as it was with sadness, confusion and despair, but those of us who remember a time in our lives defined by the latter, will know that it makes the former even sweeter. These men re-told the story of their life lived with Jesus in the Bible, still the best selling book of all time, and not once is there any hint of regret on their behalf about the life they chose. It was the journey to end all journeys. The same journey is available to each one of us today - tinged with thrilling possibility and never boring! Vicki Young
