Fourth Sunday of Advent

Hebrews 10: 5-10 Luke 1: 39-45

The race towards Christmas is nearly over. Yet it is strange to think of it as a race. We are in a Repentance is the fact of showing that you are very sorry for something bad you have done in the past, and wish that you had not done it. season of preparation and when you are preparing for something it may be usual to take things a little easy at the start. It is when you arrive at very little time remaining that the pace speeds up. You start dashing around trying to ensure all of the last minute jobs have been completed.

The season of Advent does have an element of this kind of preparation. Have all of the presents been bought, the cards written and posted, the food for the Christmas dinner bought (will the turkey fit in the oven?). But Advent does have more to it that these things.

Through Advent we have had the phrase, “Repent, make way for the Lord” ringing in our ears. Have we had the time for this repentance? Just what does it mean? Repentance does mean saying sorry but in what form should it take?

To repent means that you are very sorry for something bad that you had done in the past and that you are showing how much you regret what you had done. But more than that. Repentance also means that you wish that you had not done whatever it was that you had done.

‘Turn away from sin’, is a phrase often heard and quoted. It is a part of the action of repentance. To say ‘sorry’ alone is not quite going the whole way. A little more is required of us. We have to turn away from our sinful way. In some ways it goes back to the times of ancient Rome when a soldier who wished to show they were sorry would turn round and walk away. This is what we are doing when we are repenting. We are acknowledging our error and turning away from doing it again.

When we are saying sorry to a neighbour or friend a short snappy ‘sorry’ is often not sincerely meant. It certainly is not accepted as a true expression of regret. Also, once said (with fingers crossed behind ones back trying to protect you from an insincere confrontation) the wrong has not been righted.

Repentance in Advent is concerned with our position with God. God knows all about us. He knows when we are contrite, he knows if we are like the Roman soldier who just turns his back to demonstrate his sorrow. He certainly is aware if we have our fingers crossed. In Advent we come before God to cleanse our souls from all of our wrong doings. We purge ourselves before him. We also show contrition and a determination to leave behind our sinful past, to turn away.

This is the real meaning of Advent. We are awaiting the coming of our Lord. We are making ready the path before him. As we would for any important guest, we make sure that everything is done in preparation for their arrival. We prepare ourselves. We make ourselves ready and acceptable to him. We do not want to leave it until it is too late.

Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

God our redeemer,

who prepared the Blessed Virgin Mary

to be the mother of your Son:

grant that, as she looked for his coming as our saviour,

so we may be ready to greet him

when he comes again as our judge;

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.