Advent calendar 2020

Advent 10 - Tuesday 8th December 2020

This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, 'We will not walk in it.'   (Jeremiah 6:16)

The picture this morning shows the very un-festive and plain looking front door to the manse. There are two objects on the doorstep. The first is a rather scruffy pair of trainers, which are a reminder of last night’s off-road trail run by headtorch. The heavy rain and saturated ground have left the trainers soaked through and very smelly – hence them not being allowed back into the house till they have dried off!

The second object is a solitary bottle of milk. This is our very first doorstep delivery from a local dairy. (My last memory of bottled milk dates back to Primary School where each child had a daily ration. In winter when the milk arrived partially frozen, we all thought we were getting a special treat – ice cream!) So instead of a buying our milk in a disposable plastic bottle that has come all the way up from the central belt, now we have made one very small step towards buying local and being sustainable. 

Progress of course is a wonderful thing. During the lock down, access to the internet and Zoom and Facebook have enabled the church to continue to function. And it is modern science that has delivered the vaccine which in a few months’ time will bring the pandemic to a conclusion.

But sometimes, like having your milk delivered, looking to the past can be a good thing. Writing about 2,600 years ago, the prophet Jeremiah called the people to look back, to seek after for the ancient paths and walk in them. The challenge for us today whilst embracing all the benefits and opportunities of the modern, is to spiritually reconnect with the faith of former generations. To embrace the deep spiritual truths of Advent and Christmas and make them our own.
This is how one person puts it:

‘The spirit of Christmas needs to be superseded by the Spirit of Christ. The spirit of Christmas is annual; the Spirit of Christ is eternal. The spirit of Christmas is sentimental; the Spirit of Christ is supernatural. The spirit of Christmas is a human product; the Spirit of Christ is a divine person. That makes all the difference in the world.’

Prayer

O Lord,
All around us people cry “peace” when there is no peace.
How can there be peace
when voices are silenced, people suffer, and rights are denied?
How can there be peace
when bombs are falling, countries are at war, and justice is denied?

O Lord,
All too often we are the ones who cry “peace” when there is no peace.
How can there be peace
when people around us are lonely, stereotyped, and abused?
How can there be peace
when our own nations use violence in the pursuit of peace?

O Lord,
We confess our brokenness.
We confess our complicity.
We confess our contentment with “peace”
that is only about our own personal well-being.

O Lord,
Draw us to yourself, that we might live in your grace and pardon.
Challenge us to see through false declarations of “peace.”
Empower us to be peacemakers.

O Lord,
We stand at the crossroads and look.
Show us the ancient paths, where the good way lies.
Give us the courage to walk in it,
that all may find rest for their souls. 
Amen.

Blessing

May the transforming acceptance of Mary and Joseph,
the imagination of the shepherds,
and the persistence of the wise men
guide us as we seek the Truth,
always moving toward the Divine promise.
always aware God can be hidden in the frailest among us,
always open to the unexpected flash of Grace,
to the showing forth of that Love that embraces us all.
Amen

Other days in the Advent Calendar