Hold on to the Light, Advent Week 1

1 Corinthians 1

⁴ I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, ⁵ for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— ⁶ just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— ⁷ so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Mark 13

³² “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³ Beware, keep alert for you do not know when the time will come. ³⁴ It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. ³⁵ Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, ³⁶ or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. ³⁷ And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

To have found God, to have experienced him in the intimacy of our being, to have lived even for one hour in the fire of his Trinity and the bliss of his Unity clearly makes us say: “Now I understand, You alone are enough for me.”

Carlo Carretto , The God Who Comes

 As we begin a new season of Advent, my mind has turned to the beginning of Lent this year. I received an email from someone stating that they would pray for the Lincolnshire Methodist District and me on a certain day each week throughout the season; they would pray for the Holy Spirit to break into my life and into the work of the District. I responded by saying that that was very kind of them to remember us in their prayers; however, I pointed out that I felt ‘the Holy Spirit had broken into my life many years ago and that I could already see the Holy Spirit at work across the circuits, churches and members of the Lincolnshire Methodist District, but thank you all the same.’ It reminded me of a memoir that I once read. The writer recalled attending an act of worship. The worship seemed moribund. The hymns were sung, the prayers were offered and the readings were read. There was no atmosphere, no anticipation, no expectation and no sense of presence within the service. It was only in the prayer prior to the sermon that the writer realised why that was. The preacher prayed ‘Lord may your spirit come down upon us now.’ Surely, thought the writer, the Spirit should have been acknowledged as present when the people first gathered that morning. Hymns had been sung, prayers had been offered, readings had been read and only then was the preacher calling on the Spirit to descend upon the act of worship.

The Gospel reading speaks of Jesus coming unexpectedly. For those who have already experienced the presence of Jesus in their lives, his reappearance cannot be wholly unexpected. It is no surprise to me that when I suddenly think of someone whilst filling my car with petrol at a service station and then drive round to that person’s home to find their husband being carried into an ambulance. It is no surprise to me when I feel compelled to phone someone and discover that something has recently happened to them that they need to share with someone. It is not always the case of course. But on many occasions these things happen and are not a surprise to me when they do. It is not surprising to me that something always seems to work out. It is not surprising to me when someone acting wrongly suddenly has their comeuppance. Carlo Carretto experienced God in the wilderness; it was not a surprise to him. He worked alongside the nomadic Muslim Tuareg tribe. He was not surprised to find God in their lives. He would find God time and time again. It was not a surprise to him. For those who have not experienced the tiny flower blooming in the unlikeliest of places in the desert these things would be a surprise. For those who have not eaten and drank and laughed and cried with those of a faith different to their own, these things would be a surprise. But to those who have, including Carlo Carretto, it is no surprise to find God in the wilderness, or indeed in the lives of those who do not share our faith, but have their own.

Which is why the rhythm of prayer and the ritual of Sacrament are critical in our relationship with God, in order to sustain a sure knowledge of God’s presence in our lives, in the lives of others and in our world in general. Regular prayer and a sacramental life are vital if we are to see God in those places others would not expect. For in every way we are enriched by him. Therefore, it is no surprise to me to see God in The Big Issue seller, or to see God in the crying child wheeled along in a pushchair by a deeply troubled parent. It is no surprise to me to see God in the look of love exchanged between a young couple; or in the holding of hands by the husband and wife now residing together in a nursing home. It is no surprise to me to know that we are all loved by God, not just because the Bible tells me so, but because God has shown it to be the case on more than one occasion; and, in the words of Carlo Carretto, ‘God alone is enough for me.’