Advent is coming

In spite of the insistence of our shops to the contrary (most supermarkets seem to have had Christmas decorations up since at least Hallowe'en!) it is NOT CHRISTMAS. The handy isitchristmas.com website will confirm this.

I'm not being an old Scrooge. I love celebrating Christmas, and I love celebrating Christmas at length. Christmas doesn't end on Boxing Day. Depending on how old-fashioned you are, it finishes on the feast of the Baptism of Christ, or on Candlemas on 2nd February. My decorations will stay up until Candlemas! One of the things I hate about the way supermarkets and the like 'celebrate' Christmas is that they put up decorations in October, but then take them down a few days after Christmas Day. And you try buying a Christmas pudding in early January!

A big problem with celebrating Christmas too early is that we miss out on the feel of Advent, one of the most moving seasons of the Christian year, a time of hope and expectation. Advent begins this Sunday, the 2nd December and continues until the evening of 24th December. The Church doesn't begin celebrating Christmas until the evening of Christmas Eve. Before then, we don't sing carols, we have Christmas themed readings and prayers, we don't put flowers in the church, we wear violet vestments, and we don't place the child in our crib.

So I have a challenge for you - delay putting up your Christmas decorations! Wait at least until 17th December, a day on which the flavour of Advent changes, when it becomes more of a 'getting ready for Christmas time'. In the meantime, why not do some Advent things? Here are some ideas:

Make An Advent Wreath

The Advent Wreath is a way of 'counting down' towards Christmas. One candle is lit during each of the four weeks of Advent. Find out how to make one here.

Put Up Advent Decorations


Advent is not a gloomy time! Why not brighten up your home with decorations in the colour of Advent - purple?


Celebrate Advent Saints

Some significant feast days, with a distinct pre-Christmas feel, fall in Advent. These are associated with customs in various parts of the world:

• December 6th - St Nicholas (Santa Claus)
• December 8th - The Immaculate Conception.
• December 13th St Lucy/ Lucia

 Why not find out about them, and do something to celebrate?

There is much more about Advent over at the Occupy Advent website.

Christ the King!

Today is the feast of Christ the King!



It's a busy day in our churches. I've just had the privilege of welcoming Micah by baptism into the Church at St John's, and in a couple of hours we will be welcoming the Esteem Social Club for their annual service of thanksgiving. Instead of a reflection from me, then, some words from a hymn we sang at St Matthias earlier, written by a great prophet of Christ's Kingdom, Fr Conrad Noel:

You faithful saints and martyrs who fought for truth and right,
We ask your prayers and blessings to aid us in our fight.
Your faith shall be our watchword, your cause shall be our own -
To fight against oppression till it be overthrown.

Lift up the people's banner and let the ancient cry
for justice and for freedom re-echo to the sky.

In many a golden story, on many a golden page,
The poets in their poems have sung the golden age,
The age of love and beauty, the age of joy and peace,
When everyone lived gladly and shared the earth's increase.
Lift up the people's banner…

Today the tyrants triumph and bind us for their gains,
But Jesus Christ our Saviour will free us from our chains,
And love, the only master, will strive with might and greed,
Till might is right no longer, and right is might indeed.
Lift up the people's banner…

God is the only Landlord to whom our rents are due.
God made the earth for everyone and not for just a few.
The four parts of creation -- earth, water, air, and fire --
God made and ranked and stationed for everyone's desire.
Lift up the people's banner…

God made the earth for freedom and God alone is Lord,
And we will win our birthright by truth's eternal sword;
And all the powers of darkness and all the hosts of pride
Shall pass and be forgotten for God is by our side.
Lift up the people's banner…

Christ blessed the meek and told them that they the earth should own.
And he will lead the battle from his eternal throne.
O have no fear, my comrades, cry out in holy mirth!
For God to us has promised the Kingdom here on earth.
Lift up the people's banner…

Oh, and don't forget to STIR UP today!

Thought for 2nd Sunday before advent

In our reading from the letter to the Hebrews the writer challenges us to "Provoke one another to love and good deeds". Hebrews 10:24

This is the job description of a Christian community. We're not talking about competitive Christianity here! The writer of Hebrews is encouraging his audience and us to be a community that meets together regularly to build each other up.

We need each other in the diversity of community to inspire, encourage and build each other up. Community is also a place for accountability, not a place for judgement, but where we are accountable to each other.

It is this kind of community that sustains Christians and allows us to work for the Kingdom of God.

And thank God we have God's Grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit and don't have to do this alone!

Stir Up!

 This Sunday our churches will keep the feast of Christ the King.

Once upon a time, though, every church in the Church of England would have kept the Sunday before Advent as the "Last Sunday After Trinity". The 1662 Book of Common Prayer collect would have been said in every church:

Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Because of the first line, this Sunday became known as Stir Up Sunday and was traditionally the day for making your Christmas pudding!

If you fancy sticking with tradition, I refer you to Nigella.

Pray for Synod!

General Synod is a body that makes important decisions within the Church of England. You can read about it here. It is meeting in London over the next few days. There is a live stream here.

Synod will be discussing a number of important topics. In particular, as you will have seen from the news, our synod representatives will be considering whether we should consecrate women as bishops, and if so what kind of provision should be made for those who are opposed to this move.

This is obviously a very important issue which people feel strongly about. We shouldn't forget to pray for Synod! It is all too easy - and I'm the worst culprit here! - to get so tied up in following debates and having opinions that we forget to pray. But we read in John's gospel that it is God's Holy Spirit who will "lead us into all truth". And it is the Spirit, given us in our baptism, who makes us all one. So we should pray for the gift of the Spirit for Synod, that it may be guided into truth. And we should pray for the gift of the Spirit for the whole of our church, that we may be helped to see through our present divisions to the fundamental unity that is ours in Jesus Christ.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful,
and enkindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created,
and you shall renew the face of the earth.

Let us pray,

God, you have taught the hearts of your faithful people,
by the light of the Holy Spirit.
Grant that by the gift of the same Spirit,
we may be truly wise,
and ever rejoice in his consolation.
Through Christ our Lord,
Amen.

Advent Concerts

 At St John's we'll be putting on a series of Advent concerts. The money raised from these will go towards supporting our music fund. So cheer up those winter evenings and support a good cause by coming along!

Sat 1 December, 7.30pm
The Arch' Orchestra

Mozart Symphony No. 29 in A major, K.201
Mozart Violin Concerto No.3 in G major, K.216
Haydn Symphony No. 44 in E minor, Hob. 1/44,
"Trauer"
Chloé van Soeterstède, conductor
Margaret Dziekonski, violin


Fri 7 December, 7.30pmSacred and Secular

A mix of sacred and secular songs, arias and
duets
Katherine Williamson, soprano
Jasmine Adrian-Dawson, mezzo soprano
Konstantin Gensitsky, piano

Sat 15 December, 7.30pmViolin and Piano

Mozart, Chopin, Beethoven
Margaret Dziekonski, violin
Otis Beasley, piano

Fri 21 December, 7.30pmTrio Renoir
Programme to include Beethoven, Mozart
and Piazzolla

Nafis Umerkulova, piano
Svetlana Mochalova, cello
Violeta Barrena, violin

Tickets: £10/£5conc. for the concert on 1 December; £7/£4 for the rest of the
concerts. Sales at the door, reservations by email
Venue: St John the Evangelist, West Hendon, Algernon Road, London, NW4 3PX
Email: stjohn.concerts@gmail.com


Transport

Tube: Hendon Central (10 mins)
Rail: Hendon (3 mins)
Buses: 83, 183, 32, 142
Free parking and disabled access

Reflection for the Third Sunday before Advent

Whilst over at St Matthias we offered a requiem for those killed in war, at St John's - whilst we prayed for the war dead - we read the readings set for the day and kept an ordinary 'green' Sunday.

We read from the beginning of Mark's gospel:

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.  (Mark 1:14-20)

That invitation - "follow me" - is one that Jesus still makes. It is one that our baptism and confirmation candidates will take up when they celebrate those sacraments on the evening of 4th December.

It is also an invitation that those of us who are already baptised and confirmed have accepted. How are we doing at following Jesus?

We only have three weeks left in the Church's year (we begin a new year on Advent Sunday, 2nd December). Over these coming weeks, let's spend a bit of time assessing our discipleship, asking how generously we respond to Jesus' call to follow him. And then let's make some 'new years' resolutions', commiting ourselves to follow Jesus in the coming year!