A Message from Rob
Christmas greetings to all,
It seems strange to be sitting in my new study writing this message for
people who I hardly know yet. A new
Church, new congregation, new ‘job’ and a new house all at the same time.
However, as I write I am reminded that the season of Advent is all about
new things. The Church calendar starts
with Advent – not with the new year on the 1st of January but with a
period of waiting and reflection leading up to the celebration of the great
‘new thing’ the birth of Jesus – the incarnation of God as man on the earth.
I am pleased that I was able to join St John’s in time to share this
Advent with you all, that our new beginning as a fellowship together and my new
beginning as parish priest can be marked by our sharing together in the start
of the new liturgical year.
There are different traditions
as to the means of the four weeks and 5 candles of Advent. Personally, I see the first candle as being
for the Patriarchs of the book of Genesis – reminding us that God has always
been interested in human beings and that our story is linked with the great
story of God’s salvation plan which started so many years ago. The second candle is for the Prophets, people to whom God spoke and who sought to lead God’s people in the path that he had prepared
for them. We are reminded that God still
speaks to his people today and that what he promised will come true – just as
Jesus came to fulfil the words of the Prophets of old. The third candle is for John the Baptist,
after whom St John’s is named. In part
this reminds us both of the commission to call the lost to come to God and also
the price that we sometimes have to pay for being true to that call. The fourth candle is for Mary the mother of
Jesus. Her obedience to the call of God
on her life should be an inspiration to each of us to listen to hear what God
is calling us to do and then to obey without hesitation. The final candle is to remind us that Jesus
came into the world as the light of the world.
Without this final candle the rest would be almost meaningless.
As we progress though this advent I hope we will each reflect on the
meaning of each of these weeks. That we
will seek to connect with the message that God has poured out through scripture
– from Genesis to Revelation and be preparing ourselves not only to celebrate
the incarnation of the 25th but also for Christ triumphant return
whenever that occurs.
May God bless and keep each of us and those we love both today and
throughout this season.
Rob Radcliffe
