READINGS Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:1-9; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-end; Luke 21:25-36

Let us Pray: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, Lord our strength and our Redeemer. Amen

A word from Barbara: In the Church of England, Advent is a season of expectation and preparation, as the Church prepares to celebrate the coming of Christ in his incarnation, and also looks ahead to his final advent as judge at the end of time. The readings and liturgies not only direct us towards Christ’s birth, they also challenge the modern reluctance to confront the theme of divine judgement: "Every eye shall now behold him robed in dreadful majesty".

There are many distractions in our lives which can prevent us from focusing and preparing ourselves as Christians to walk with God in special times of the year. Advent is such a time, it is a season when see Christmas cards, lights, advertisements about toys, who is getting together for Christmas, presents and much more are highlighted in our society that can end up being at the forefront of our daily lives. Yes they are part of the way we celebrate - and there is nothing wrong with all this - but we can lose focus on what this season is about for us as Christians: a time of preparation and waiting. All these things contribute to our excitement and expectations leading up to Christmas, but Advent is a special time for us too, a time of preparing, while praying, and drawing closer to God. In Advent, we can continue to learn more from God and what God wants us to learn through this season - but to do this we need to spend time in God’s Word. This means that our Bibles are so important for through them God teaches us. As we read the Bible, a sentence, a verse, a chapter, may speak to and guide us as we read, pray about, meditate upon or question the meaning of the word of God that we read.

In our Gospel from Luke, the fig tree “is the key to these Readings”. For we understand the seasons of winter, spring, summer and autumn and have certain expectations of what the world will be like. In the same way we are to train and prepare ourselves to try and recognize the coming of our Lord. To do this we need balance in our lives, so we can spend time in God’s presence with God’s word, in spite of all of the distractions at this time of the year. So, as we wait for Christmas, let's read the scriptures, pray, sing and meditate on God’s Word. To help here is a short meditation.

Meditation

*Close your eyes (eyes can be open also)

*listen to the stillness or your heart beat (for a minute or so),

*find a verse from the Bible and read it over a few times. My chosen verse is from our psalm: “Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation";

*spend a few minutes in silence thinking about what you have read

For God wants us to walk this season of advent, a time of waiting and preparing in faith and for us to encourage others to walk it too. 

Let us pray: Lord God in this season of Advent help us to walk this time with you, taking time out to read and meditate on your Word, to stop and listen to you, to embrace the opportunities and different ways of preparing ourselves for Your Coming. Amen