Vicar's letter
| The Coming of Christ |
Vicar's letter |
| In Advent we look forward to the coming of Christ.
Jesus Christ comes to us through being born as a baby in The
readings set for the second and third Sundays of Advent
reflect on John the Baptist, the forerunner, the one who
prepared the way for the coming of Christ. On the fourth
Sunday of Advent we read about the annunciation to Mary
and Joseph and their part in the coming of Christ. Each
Sunday we light a candle to remember those the prepared
for the coming of Christ: Abraham and the patriarchs, the
prophets, John the Baptist and lastly, Mary. In
all these persons and themes there is the call to
repentance as a very important way of preparing for the
coming of Christ. Abraham and the patriarchs were full of
faith and trust in God but from time to time, like us,
for they too were human, they did what was wrong. The
prophets time and time again, called upon the people of Repentance
is not to be seen as a duty or a hardship, although it
can feel difficult. It is to be life giving for as we
change for the better we become more joyful and are
better able to help other persons. We live in a world
with too much destruction; some caused by nature but much
caused by human actions. Repentance leads both to less
destructiveness and more help and healing to those hurt
by what life brings to them. Lent
and Advent are both times for repentance; while the
distinction is slight, for these matters overlap, it is
traditional and helpful to focus in Advent more on our
sins which affect the life of the wider community and in
Lent on those sins destructive more to ourselves and
other persons more directly. May God guide and bless our
repentance this Advent; so that we rejoice all the more
at the coming of Christ, the light of the world at
Christmas. Christopher
Morgan - Jones
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