Last Day of the Year
Last day of the year? No, I'm not fast-forwarding to 31 December. I'm thinking of today, the last day of the Church's year. It isn't a day we actually celebrate, more a day for getting ready for Advent, which starts tomorrow.
Advent is the season that starts the church's new year and leads up to Christmas, though it's much more than a preparation for Christmas. Advent always begins on a Sunday and there are always 4 Sundays of Advent before Christmas Day. This means it begins on a different day each year, at the end of November or beginning of December. This year it begins tomorrow 2nd December. More than anything else it's a season of hope - hope in darkness, hope in patient waiting and stillness.
At a time when many people have too much to do in the run up to Christmas, it seems all the more important to take some daily time to be still and focus on things of true value, if only for 2 minutes a day. That's not too much for anyone is it? I'm planning to post some reflections for Advent over the next weeks. I have no idea where this will take me, but doing it will help me to pause for thought.
If you don't know what Advent is about here's a 2 minute introduction by @BustedHalo which I discovered thanks to a post on the Big Bible website.
Did you hear about the Christian Feminist Network that was launched today at Southwark Cathedral?
ReplyDeleteNo I hadn't, but I've looked up this new network. I support the aims and am now following on Twitter. Many thanks for the information.
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