Archbishop’s Reflections on Advent

Archbishop’s Reflections on Advent

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, gives his reflections on Advent: “It is a time of expectation and a time of hope. A time, therefore, also of quiet”.

Our Archbishop can be a bit obscure when he speaks, and especially in some of his writing — he’s just so academic sometimes in his language. But I think in this video reflection he’s very clear, and, as always when you can understand what he’s saying, very easy to listen to.

That we may be ready to meet you

That we may be ready to meet you

This Sunday is Advent Sunday, the first Sunday in the Church’s liturgical year. Advent consists of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas. It’s a penitential season of preparation and waiting. “Advent” means “coming”, and there’s a sense of eager expectancy, as we look forward to the coming of Christ into the world at Christmas. In this season we also celebrate the coming of Jesus into our lives daily, at our death, and at the end of the world. And this thinking about the end of the world, especially, leads us to thinking about God’s judgement.

God’s judgement of us is a subject I’m never entirely comfortable with. The differences in theology between the conservative and liberal wings of the Church just confuses me. If I’m asked for an opinion, I usually just admit that I don’t know, but am happy to leave myself to the mercy of an all-loving God, a God who I know loves me far more than I do myself.

I heard a story today, though, that just struck a chord for me. I gather it, or something very like it, has been used as an illustration about judgement in the more evangelical Churches for many years. But coming from a more catholic tradition I hadn’t heard it before.

It’s a bit long to include the whole story here, so I’ll just link to it — it’s called Grace. Basically the story tells us of the judge who fined someone in his court, but then wrote out a cheque to pay the fine. It suggests that God/Jesus may do likewise.

As I said, this story really struck a chord for me. If it helps us to feel less fearful of the judgement that must surely come — the Bible seems pretty clear on that — then it must be a good thing. Because if we’re less fearful, then perhaps we’ll be more ready to meet God in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Almighty God,
as your kingdom dawns,
turn us from the darkness of sin to the
     light of holiness,
that we may be ready to meet you
in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Additional Collect for The First Sunday of Advent
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