成人快手

Good morning.聽

The rustle of tinsel, the gleam of baubles, Bing Crosby crooning from a record-player. Signs that Christmas is just around the corner.聽

A child often says it best: 鈥淚 can almost smell Christmas鈥� she blurts, as some small reminder triggers her excited anticipation.聽

I wonder if you can remember what triggers it for you? Perhaps the smell of roast potatoes, or the screech of the sticky tape as presents are wrapped in haste.聽

Tomorrow sees the start of Advent. It's another reminder that Christmas is coming 鈥� indeed, 'coming' is the root meaning of the word. For the church, Advent signals the start of a new year: the calendar is reset; the old, old story is retold.聽

It's also about looking to the second coming of Christ; expressing the hope that one day pain and injustice will be defeated.聽

For most of us, though, Advent is a kind of countdown to Christmas. Our growing anticipation is calibrated by the numbers on our Advent Candle or Calendar. The candle burns down; the little windows are opened; excitement mounts.聽

There's another aspect to Advent, however, that is less talked-about. The clue lies in the fact that the Advent Bible readings focus on the wild-eyed desert prophet, John the Baptist. Clad in a hair shirt, John calls people out into the desert, to spring-clean their hearts.聽

Advent is not just about rising excitement and frenetic activity: like the season of Lent, it's a time for withdrawing into spacious places, recovering essentials. Its meaning is not so much 'count me down', as 'count me out.'聽

So I pray: In all the busyness of this season, let us find a calm and spacious place within. Among all the preparations, help us to recover essentials: faith and hope and love.聽

Amen.