From the Parish Priest
Dear friends,
John Betjeman begins his wonderful Christmas Poem with the words:” The waiting Bells of Advent ring…” and by the time you are reading this Advent has begun. It is a time for watching, waiting, and preparing. It is traditionally a time of excitement and expectation which is often swallowed up by the mad dash for Christmas Shopping. In church though, we try to keep the season of Advent as a solemn time of preparation to welcome Jesus into our lives. Not just as the baby in the Crib at Christmas, but also into our lives, day by day. Advent Calendars and candles and the famous Advent wreath with its five candles are all ways of counting down and building up towards the great festival of the Birth of Jesus.
As we approach the new year too, there is always a tendency to look back on the past year. It has been a momentous one nationally, with the death of Her Majesty the Queen, and the accession of King Charles. Politically there was great upheaval, an undeclared war in Europe and an unprecedented financial crisis. The scars and effects of the Covid Pandemic have also cast a long shadow in all our lives.
In Advent there is a tradition of looking back into the Old Testament to look for signs and hints of the coming of Jesus. So, as we look back at what has been, for many, a very tough year, let us look for the signs of God’s goodness and hope in the past year: Events that have united or inspired us, acts of kindness that have moved us, works of art or education that have uplifted us all tell of the hope that God gives us for the future.
We approach 2023 with hope in the goodness of God and with renewed commitment to make this world a place that reflects his will, purpose, and kingdom.
May I wish you a very Happy Christmas and a peaceful, prosperous, and happy new year.
With love and prayers,
Philip