Because of Jesus…
We all know that Advent is
traditionally a time of preparation for the nativity event, the coming into the
world of the Word-made-Flesh, born to Mary in the stable at Bethlehem. It is
notionally a time for fasting and for reflection and for prayer; a time of
being still before God.
But none of these things fit
easily into our everyday lives. In the contemporary western world, in a
post-Christendom culture, December is for most people a time of great busyness.
Our time is given over to shopping, present buying, parties, writing
interminable Christmas cards, and searching for new ways of cooking the turkey.
Many of these activities serve to diminish our bank balance and to increase our
stress levels. Christmas has become a great festival of conspicuous
consumption. Eugene Peterson has taught us that busyness is not a Christian
virtue, but even clergy contemplating the Christmas season are not immune from
this temptation !
Advent is about waiting on God.
And we find waiting difficult. Talk to anyone who is applying for a job. Or a
woman who is expecting a baby. We may think we know what is going to happen.
But we do not know what the timing will be. And we don't like not being in
control of events.
During the Advent season we wait
on God for the fulfilment of his promises. We may want God to act in our
personal and family lives: guarding and guiding our children and
grand-children; restoring damaged relationships. Equally, we may well be
impatient for God to transform the fabric and structures of the world in which
we live; a word often obsessed with material wealth and sadly unconcerned with
social justice. How can we best pray for these things ?
“Be still and know that I am God”, writes the Psalmist. This booklet
with its pattern of daily readings and reflections for the coming weeks is
designed to help people to do that, even in the midst of busy lives.
Chris
Martin
La tradition nous dit que le
temps de l'Avent est une période d'attente.
Et vous? Vous attendez? Vous êtes calme et attentif devant Dieu? Je parie que ce n'est pas le cas: nous sommes
tous très très occupés à cette époque de l'année. Et nous n'aimons pas attendre, ne rien avoir
à faire que d'attendre. Mais parfois, on
est bien obligé: on n'a qu'à parler avec une femme enceinte, par exemple.
Pendant l'Avent on attend la
réalisation des promesses de Dieu, dans le domaine mondial autant que
familial. Comment peut-on prier pour
cela?
Ce petit livret peut nous
aider, même en pleine occupation.
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