We have entered the Advent season.
In northern Europe this signals a time of long nights, the sun sets early and rises late- here in England it’s not quite as dark and dramatic as you will find further north were above the Arctic Circle there is no sun, merely a little daylight.
But even here,” the darkness creeps more into our day, making it dark when we return home from work, but worst of all is probably the darkness in the morning when it feels as if night has extended itself and it becomes a struggle to get out of a warm bed.”
The word Advent originates from Latin : Adventus meaning arrival and when we use the word advent, we use it in context of waiting for the arrival of something, here in December, The church calendar season is named Advent, and refers to the period of 4 weeks before Christmas and is observed by some Christians as a season of fasting and prayer. It is a time that we look forward to remember the first coming of Christ, which is what we celebrate at Christmas.
“If Advent is about waiting, the question lingers, what are you waiting for ?”
Advent, its the time that we wait for light to come, and we light candles to bring more light into our dark days, and perhaps that is to be compared with our spiritual life, that in our lives there might be darkness not dissimilar to the darkness of the long nights.
“And just as we discover we are not master over daylight, we might discover than in our own life there is a darkens that can only be mastered by the coming of the Light of the world into our own lives. “*
“In the Advent we are in our darkness waiting for the coming of the light.”*
The Gospel of John starts with thees thoughts: “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
* thoughts translated from J Mollehaves sermon in “Hvor Kaerlighed bor”
Advents krans is one of the beautiful and meaningful christmas traditions from Denmark, where a candle is lit one a week for every week leading up to Christmas.
I love this time of year. It seems we almost naturally want to stop and take stock and rethink where we are at… I also hate this time of year… every Christmas seems to be fraught as the various groups within the family of faith try to observe/discard/reinvent/preserve… “peace and goodwill toward all mankind”, the angels said… “Think not that I have come to bring peace but a sword…” are also words that spring to mind…