Advent 1
Service Sheet (pdf)
Today is Advent Sunday. It marks the beginning of a season when we contemplate the coming of Jesus into the world, to be its Saviour. It is hard for us, who know the full story of Jesus’ coming, his preaching and teaching, his crucifixion, resurrection and ascension, to imagine the expectancy with which his coming was awaited, and to fully appreciate the impact which his coming would have, on those who recognised him as God’s Son and accepted him into their lives. Nevertheless, it is important that we reflect on his coming and understand its relevance for us, living in the 21st Century.
The coming of a Messiah had long been foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament. But he did not come in the way the people of Israel expected, as our first hymn tells us:
Song
STF 169/ HP 81 Come, Thou long-expected JesusPrayers
And now, let us come to God in prayer. Let us all pray:
Gracious God, creator of the universe and father of every living thing, thank you for making us in your own image. Thank you for inviting us to partner with you in the development of your creation. Fill us with wonder at the beauty of the world; fill us with gratitude and fill us with a desire to play our part in seeing your kingdom come on earth. May we be faithful stewards of all that you have given to us, especially in caring for this planet on which we live.
Grant us the help of your Holy Spirit, as we seek to worship you in spirit and in truth. Take away any sense of our own worthiness to come before you, for none of us is worthy. We enter into your presence only by your grace and at your invitation. Father, we thank you for your wonderful grace.
Give us, Lord, an awareness of your presence with us in this hour, whether we are in a church as part of a congregation, or at home, on our own or with our family. May we feel your love and your support, and know that we can bring to you, with confidence, our praise, our needs, and our desire to know more about your will and your ways.
Bless our time together and through this service, may your name be glorified. We ask it in the name of Jesus, our living Lord and Saviour. Amen
The prophets knew that the Messiah would come to make all things new, but they did not warn people of how new ways would be a challenge to their comfortable lifestyle. Not everyone was prepared to be challenged, and not everyone made Jesus welcome. Our next hymn reminds us of the need to welcome Jesus into our lives.
Song
STF 178/HP 83 Long ago prophets knewReading
We now hear the first of today’s Gospel readings, which is found in John Ch 1 vv 1 – 14.
Reflection
“The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out.” John 1:5
Darkness is associated with chaos. Disorder. Before God made the world – according to Genesis – all was void and formless. It was a dark chaos. No pattern. No form. No purpose. God said “Let there be light” and there was light. And with the light came the possibility of order.
Darkness is also associated with evil. Human beings have created their own darkness – spiritual darkness – linked not so much with chaos (although that is often how it seems) as with selfishness, lust and greed. Spiritual darkness is the way of the flesh. The natural course of our human instincts. There have always been people living in spiritual darkness. And as long as people follow their human instincts, there always will be.
Darkness is also associated with evil. Human beings have created their own darkness – spiritual darkness – linked not so much with chaos (although that is often how it seems) as with selfishness, lust and greed. Spiritual darkness is the way of the flesh. The natural course of our human instincts. There have always been people living in spiritual darkness. And as long as people follow their human instincts, there always will be.
Jesus is God’s answer to spiritual darkness. He is - in His own words - the Light of the world. In the words of John’s gospel, “He was the real light – the light that comes into the world and shines on everyone.”
It is a great piece of symbolism that Jesus’ arrival as a baby was heralded by a bright light. By a star which was brighter than any other star in the sky. And it led those with understanding to the place of his birth. It is about the coming of Jesus to be Light for the world that I want us to think this morning.
Song
Hymn STF 171/HP 82 Hark the glad sound the Saviour comesReading
Reflection
The main purpose of light is to reveal. It enables us to see clearly. Jesus revealed the nature of God. He also revealed the purpose of life, which in God’s plan is to be a life of love: loving God and loving our neighbours.Throughout his earthly life, Jesus was never far from spiritual darkness. At the very beginning of his life, his parents had to flee, as refugees, to Egypt, to escape the anger and brutality of Herod, who put to death every boy under 2 years old in Bethlehem. That was an awful tragedy, resulting from Jesus’ birth, and one which we are inclined to forget. In the fight between good and evil – between light and darkness – the darkness will not give up its struggle lightly. But we can be reassured by our text: The darkness has never put out the light. And it never will.
So Jesus’ coming revealed to us God’s love and his purpose. But we need to see the light and recognise it. Sometimes it comes to us in a flash. A sudden realisation. We say, don’t we, the light dawns on us. But unfortunately, as John reminds us, not everyone sees it.
Until recently, I helped to look after the hostel at Conistone, near Grassington, and I well remember the time we stayed there during the winter of 1990. It was snowing as we drove up Wharfedale, and it snowed all evening, very heavily. So heavily, that it brought down the power lines and we were left without electricity. The power cut lasted from 11 pm on Friday evening until the following Tuesday. Fortunately for us, the snow abated on the Sunday, so we all made a dash for it and came home. All through the Saturday, we had no heat in the building and when the sun went down, we were left with just a few candles to help us to get around the place. I’ll never forget, sitting in a circle in the lounge, huddled in jumpers and coats and scarves, inside our sleeping bags, trying to keep ourselves amused. I reckoned we must have looked a real sight, so I took out my camera and took a photo, using my flash. This was before the days of digital cameras, and so I had to wait almost a week, until my photos were developed. I can hardly describe the surprise I felt, when I first saw the pictures I had taken.
My recollection of the occasion was of an array of people and clothes in a very dark room. But the photos showed a brightly lit room, with everything clearly visible. Of course, for the fraction of a second that the camera’s shutter was open, the room was lit by my flash-gun. But we who were in the darkened hostel had not seen it. Not until so long afterwards. Too late to be of any use to us, in our time of need.
For those people who have not yet recognised the light of Jesus, we must pray that he will reveal himself to them, before it is too late. Let us pray that he will reveal himself to many this Christmas.
Jesus’ light reveals the truth - the purpose of life. When he was on earth, he did this through his teaching, especially his parables. Following his ascension into heaven, God has given us the Holy Spirit, to continue his work of revelation. To light up our lives. A point comes in our lives when God’s truth falls into place and it all makes sense. It’s a bit like those scrambled pictures of faces we see on TV quizzes, which gradually re-arrange themselves and eventually show a clear, understandable image. And then you recognise the face.
That’s a good parallel to God’s revelation of himself, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Man’s understanding was confused at first. It became clearer through the Old Testament. But God became seen very clearly through Jesus, as indeed we now see him with the help of the Holy Spirit. Those who do not have the Spirit’s help cannot see God in Jesus. John, in his gospel, talks about those who do not recognise him.
So – the light is essential in all our lives, to remove the darkness of ignorance and misunderstanding.
Secondly, light dispels fear. We all know that some children, at bedtime, are afraid of the dark. A small night light, left lit through the night can be very useful. But for previous generations, a small light would not be much help, as it would have been a candle, and we all know how candles can cast eerie shadows around a room, which are themselves very frightening.
A story is told of Alexander the Great, who was a victorious general at the age of 18, a king when he was 20, and died aged 33, having conquered the whole of the then-known world.
Whilst Alexander was in his early teens, Philonicus the Thessalonian offered to sell his horse to Philip, Alexander’s father. The horse, called Bucephalus, was a trained but vicious animal. Philip took his son to see the horse being put through his paces, but the stallion proved so unmanageable that none of the men could even mount him. Alexander noticed that the horse seemed to be afraid of his own shadow, so he quietened the horse by turning him towards the sun. Then Alexander mounted the horse, and by keeping him headed into the sun, kept him under control.
Many people today are afraid of their own shadows. They need to turn to the light of Jesus, who chases away shadows and makes life bearable.
How reassuring it is, if we are fearful of the dark, when someone switches on the light. We see things properly and in their proper perspective. We realise that there really was no reason, after all, to be afraid.
The same is true of the coming of the dawn, after a long and restless night. There was a hymn in the old Methodist Hymn Book which opened:
“Light of the lonely pilgrim’s heart, star of the coming day,
Arise, and with Thy morning beams chase all our griefs away.”
Jesus is the light which dispels our fear. A friendly light. A guiding light. Those of you of my generation, may remember a poem by Minnie Louise Haskins, made famous by King George VI:
“I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than a light and safer than a known way.”
So I went forth, and finding the hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.”
We can seek Jesus’ guiding light every day – whenever we are unsure of the way ahead. We can turn to him whatever our circumstances, because he has been there before us. Because of Christmas.
Because God was born into our human condition…
He knows our feelings and fears
He has suffered pain
He knows what it feels like to be rejected
He understands the need – at times – to weep.
And He knows the joy of laughter.
So, with his light in our lives, we can face the unknown with confidence. He even – no, he especially – gives us hope beyond death. We need no longer fear the grave…because of what waits for us on the other side. Jesus said: “Whoever follows me will have the light of life and will never walk in darkness.”
And that brings me to my final point: When we follow Jesus, we walk in the light. We become children of the light and we become a guiding light to others. Those who cannot immediately see the light in Jesus, should be able to see it in us. Our lives should be a contrast to the darkness which is around us, and it will bring hope to our neighbours. This is what Jesus meant by saying “Your light must shine before people.”
A little girl was once with her family in a party of visitors being shown round one of the great cathedrals. As the guide was explaining about a historic tomb in one part of the cathedral, the girl was staring at a great stained-glass window, through which the sun was streaming, bathing the floor in colour. As the group was about to move on, the girl asked the guide: “Who are the people in the pretty window?” “Those are the saints,” the man replied.
That night, as she was getting ready for bed, the little girl told her mother “I know who the saints are.” “Do you, dear?” replied her mother. “Who are they?” “They are the people who let the light shine through.”
So, I say to you: walk…..
in the light of the child born at Bethlehem, beneath that bright shining star.
in the light of the man, who revealed to us the nature of God. The nature of love which took him to a cross for our sakes, to dispel fear for ever.
And in the light of the Holy Spirit, who reveals to us the truth and is our guiding light.
And let that light be seen, shining through your life, to hasten the day….. of peace on earth and goodwill to all men. Amen.
Song
Our next hymn was written by Rev Clare Stainsby, who is the Superintendent Minister of the Airedale Circuit in Yorkshire West District. Singing the Faith contains three of Clare’s hymns and this one is very fitting for our theme today.Hymn STF 174 Light a candle in a darkened place
Prayers
Let us now bring to God our prayers for the needs of the world:
Father, we pray for peace in our world. Our televisions make us aware of all the trouble that exists around the world. Conflict between nations, and conflict within nations, as greed, ambition and hatred make victims of innocent people. We pray for all who are suffering: those who have lost their homes; those who have lost family members; and refugees, who are escaping the violence and seeking refuge in safer places. Lord, encourage the Governments of the world to have sympathy and to show compassion for refugees.
Father, we pray for peace in our world. Our televisions make us aware of all the trouble that exists around the world. Conflict between nations, and conflict within nations, as greed, ambition and hatred make victims of innocent people. We pray for all who are suffering: those who have lost their homes; those who have lost family members; and refugees, who are escaping the violence and seeking refuge in safer places. Lord, encourage the Governments of the world to have sympathy and to show compassion for refugees.
We pray for the scientists and governments of the world who are trying to reverse climate change. We think of the people who have suffered from wildfires and extreme weather conditions in recent weeks. We pray for wisdom, to take forward the decisions of the COP 26 conference, and a determination amongst all the world’s leaders to unite in creating a greener world. Our planet and our lives depend on it.
We pray for all the governments of the world trying to arrest the spread of Covid19. Thank you for the skill of scientists and doctors and thank you for the discovery of vaccines which are helping to control the spread of the disease. Comfort all those who grieve the loss of a loved one, due to the pandemic.
In the time between the recording of this service and its broadcast, there have no doubt been events or happenings for which we should be praying. I invite you to bring these concerns to God in your private prayer time
And finally, Lord, we add to these prayers those concerns of our own hearts, for friends and family members who are suffering in any way. We thank you, that you are always ready to hear our requests, and are faithful to answer them. Give us the faith to accept your answers, and show us ways in which we may ourselves provide some answers to those prayers.
We ask all our prayers, in and through the name of Jesus, our Saviour and our Lord.
And we close our prayers by saying together the prayer which Jesus taught us: Our Father……..
Do you remember Kenneth Horne, a comedian of the 1950s and 60s, whose radio shows included ‘Round the Horne’? Well, his father, Charles Syvester Horne was a minister, and he wrote our closing hymn.
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