Today, the first Sunday of Advent , marks the beginning of a period of preparation,   a  waiting  time,  for the celebration of the birth of Christ, our Saviour, at Christmas.

Advent is a time for new thoughts, new beginnings, new projects, as we start a new year of Christian prayer and worship. The Gospel calls us to be ready to welcome Jesus as the anchor of our lives, our true Saviour, and prepare for  His return at the end of time. It’s an open invitation to make a new start in our own  personal spiritual journeys.

It has been  said that if we can learn in these weeks of Advent the importance of patient waiting we will  have learned one of the greatest lessons in life. This is hard for us, especially in the West. We live in an instant age — instant food, instant this, that and the other.   We are in a  constant  hurry.  All  around  us  are  signs  of  hurrying,  a  sense of  urgency,  waiting  is  to  be  avoided  at  all  costs.   No time,  no  time.                                                                                

And  yet  that  is  what  Advent  is  all  about…..  patiently  waiting  and  preparing. 

How  many  of  us  have  started  making  our  Christmas lists,  writing  Christmas  Cards,  buying  presents,  all  to  be  ready  for  that  important  day.  But  what  of  our  preparing  and  getting  ready  to  welcome  the  Christ  Child  into  our  lives?

 It  is  not  easy  to  put  Jesus  at  the  centre  of  our  day,  in  every  task  we  do,  in  every  journey  we  make.  But  that  is  what  God  wants  us  to  do.

In  short,  God  wants  us  to  be  happy  and  blessed and  we  become  blessed  when  we  choose  God. He  sent  His  own  Blessed  Son  to  be  our  guide  and  redeemer.

 As  we  pass  through  life  we  are  all  being  faced  with  a  choice  between  two  ways,  either  that  of  wrong  doing,  or,  on  the  other  hand,  that  of  grace,  which  is  allowing  Jesus  to  be  our  guide  and  exemplar  in  all  we  do.

 O  Lord,  help  us  to  make  the  right  choices  today.  To  choose  love,  not  hatred,  forgiveness  not  resentment.  May  we  choose  faith  in  you  as  we  welcome  you  into  our  lives.     Amen