On the second and third Sundays in Advent, we typically focus our thoughts on John the Baptist, the fore-runner to Jesus. He stood up in the desert and he had a very simple message: God is going to come and visit his people, and you've got to get in there and clean your life up if you're ever going to meet him.

The trouble was that most people didn't clean up their lives, and many people chose to ignore John the Baptist, and carry on as they were.

But, as we saw in Jesus, God came anyway, not with a sort of ‘sin-o-meter’ to test how sinful people were - but he came and loved & accepted people as they were, he came as a complete person, to stand alongside them… as a fellow human being….and people were changed by his presence.

Sometimes we are tempted to throw our hands in the air and think how terrible the world is, how far removed from God's Kingdom, how remote from how God would have it be. But that Kingdom is here already, it is in our midst. Jesus comes today and everyday into a torn and broken and unloving and distrustful world. His presence is not dependent upon us: he comes anyway and that is what we will be remembering at the great feast of Christmas.

And we have these four weeks of Advent to prepare. It's not a 4 weeks to do your spring cleaning and get your soul squeaky clean. It's not to make us all so righteous, that we can in some way welcome him with a clear conscience. It is 4 weeks to remove barriers, to identify those things in each of us which stop us hearing what he has to say, those things which stop us recognising him in our world today.

So that when he does come, we are ready to respond to the call of his Kingdom.

Click 'More Info' below to see a recitation of Rowan Williams 'Advent Calendar'

The picture of John the Baptist above is part of a painting by artist Jen Norton. For more information, see https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/jen-norton

The Chaplaincy is organising an Advent Celebration of Forgiveness and Reconciliation, on Zoom this Wednesday 17th December, at 18:00 CET. More details and Zoom link to follow.

Today we remember the visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary, pregnant with Jesus, to her cousin, Elizabeth, who was also pregnant, with John the Baptist.

Mary leaves her home in Nazareth immediately after the Angel Gabriel has appeared to her - to give her the astonishing news that she was in fact carrying the Son of the Lord Most High - and goes into the hill country of Judah, a journey of some 100km. And there she finds Elizabeth, by far her senior in years, now in her sixth month of pregnancy, And Mary stays some three months, so probably until the birth of John.

And doubtless with their both being pregnant, Mary wants to see how Elizabeth is faring, and indeed share some of her own experience. But it feels as if she was also just checking out, verifying even, what it was that the Angel had said to her…..just making sure that this was something real. God speaks clearly, very clearly, but we don’t always hear clearly, as our own hesitations and our anxieties can sometimes get in the way.

I never bought into the story that Mary was this meek and mild little servant of the Lord, all ‘doing thy will’ and a bit too pious for this world. No, this was a girl with some spirit, but a girl with doubts, anxieties, looking for reassurance - so a very ordinary teenager. In fact the most extraordinary thing about her was her very ordinariness – and yet, that she got up off the sofa, she steps up to what is required of her, and she does something amazing.

Ours is a God who chooses to work through the ordinary, who trusts every step of his plan, of his mission, of his Word, to people – actually people like us, with our hesitations, our concerns, our busy-ness, and our lack of confidence. That is why the young Mary is such a strong confidant and role model for so many people. And it is also our assurance that the God who comes into our world in the baby Jesus is a God for everyone - not just the posh, the wealthy or the righteous!

Click 'More Info' below to see a recitation of Rowan Williams 'Advent Calendar'

On the shortest day of the year, and the longest night, many churches hold a Blue Christmas eucharistic service to remember people who have lost loved ones and those experiencing grief.

The service includes opportunities to express grief, pain, and heartbreak as well as focussing on the promise of hope found in Christ.

It is particularly poignant at this time of year when people can feel lonely or left out, while others are enjoying the holidays. But it also fits with the moment when the nights stop getting longer, and we can look forward with hope to longer days, shorter nights, and the eventual coming of Spring.

If you are looking for a place of solace and healing, join us for a quiet and reflective service. No booking necessary. Simply come along on the night.