Happy New Church Year to all. Today (29th November 2009) is Advent Sunday - the first day in the Church's year - and the first day in the Advent Season when we prepare for Christmas. Advent comes from a Latin word adventus, which means 'coming' or 'arrival'.

During Advent we think of two particular times of waiting for an arrival. We remember the people of God waiting for their Messiah (annointed one) to appear. As Christians, we believe that this waiting was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ into our world - the appearance of God into our human day-to-day messiness. The two jargon words that Christians use for this appearance of God in the form of Jesus are 'manifestation' and 'incarnation'.

Many Christians follow a prayer scheme during Advent. The one I shall use this year is shown here. However, if you're a bit slow off the mark, or missed the bookshop there are some excellent on-line resources to help.

You might like to try looking at Ignatian Spirituality's Advent resources
. In particular, I liked the look of the weekly on-line retreat at Making the Parts Whole.

The other waiting for an arrival that we remember in Advent is the Second Coming or Parousia, as it is technically named! The Bible teaches that one day Christ will come again in glory - we have no idea when - but Christians throughout the ages have yearned for this coming.

But I always feel a little anxious that, at this time, we do not forget Christ's other way of being manifest in the world - and that is through us. We are all made in the image of God and therefore bear many marks of God's identity. We can squash these down or build them up in our lives - we have choices.

Take a few minutes to dwell on the words of Paul of Tarsus - if we take these seriously, they are truly life-changing.

1 Corinthians 3.16:

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

Colossians 1.27:

To them God chose to make known how great... are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Christ in me, Christ in you - wow! We can be temples where God dwells within and like John the Baptist we can say, 'He must become more and I must become less'.

Enjoy Advent. (personally, I love all the lights!)

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There is still time to slip out to your local bookshop and buy a book to guide you through Advent. The one I am using this year is:



But you could browse around and see what appeals to you.

As a starter - just before Advent - why not take a moment to wonder at the miracle of incarnation. Our God became an embryo inside Mary, which grew, was born as a baby boy in pain and struggle, was brought up in relative poverty and lived here amongst us human beings.

Is that amazing, or is that amazing?!

You might like to spend some time meditating on the following words taken from the New Living Translation of John Chapter 1.

In the beginning the Word already existed.
He was with God, and he was God.
He was in the beginning with God.

The Word became human and lived here on earth among us.
He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.

When you have taken this passage in, then take a little while to give thanks for the ongoing miracle of incarnation - Christ in you.

For we are living temples of God.

Praise him!

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Have you ever felt that you didn't really 'get' the Bible. What is it all about? What is the overall story? How does it all hang together?

If you have a spare hour and would like to listen to a well-presented overview then try this link:

The whole Bible in one hour

And in the meantime, here is a passage from Proverbs Chapter 8 that is mentioned in this talk. It is a beautiful passage about Wisdom - and it talks in terms of Wisdom being personified as a woman. Take your time with this passage. Read and re-read it and then let it swirl through your being.

Wisdom’s Part in Creation

The Lord created me at the beginning of his work,
the first of his acts of long ago.
Ages ago I was set up,
at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
Before the mountains had been shaped,
before the hills, I was brought forth—
when he had not yet made earth and fields,
or the world’s first bits of soil.
When he established the heavens, I was there,
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
when he made firm the skies above,
when he established the fountains of the deep,
when he assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
then I was beside him, like a master worker;
and I was daily his delight,
rejoicing before him always,
rejoicing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the human race.

Isn't that last line beautiful?
Delighting in the human race.

God delights in us. God delights in you. God delights in me.

Yes - delights.

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The BBC's series of programmes on the history of Christianity is being repeated on BBC4 and can you can still start at the beginning using BBC iPlayer.

Here is Episode 1 of The History of Christianity

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This is a prayer taken from the writings of Hildegard of Bingen. It shows her holistic view of the world and our place in it. There is no 'dualism' here that separates body from spirit - we are a whole - our body worships God as well as our mind and our spirit.

A definite antidote to St Augustine!

A Prayer of Awareness

God is the foundation for everything
This God undertakes, God gives.
Such that nothing that is necessary for life is lacking.
Now humankind needs a body that at all times honors and praises God.
This body is supported in every way through the earth.
Thus the earth glorifies the power of God.

Hildegard of Bingen

From: Interfaith Declarations and Worship Observance Resources; The North American Conference on Religion and Ecology.
This prayer was used for Earth Day, 1990

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