Context
- Even though the signs are there for us that our planet is being overwhelmed by human action, will we face the cost of the choices now needed?
- Trump dismisses the findings of scientific reports. The US has drastically cut funding for data gathering on climate change.
- When power is called to account, it is still hard to get to the truth. Mark Zuckerberg declines the invitation to attend a hearing with MPs.
- MPs raise questions over the impact of fast fashion and the ethics of selling T-shirts for £2.
- At the same time as the UN shines a light on the devastating impact of poverty, our throw away culture and squandering of the most basic resources is criticised.
- Whatever the outcome of Brexit, the threat of its exploitation by the far right raises questions about society.
Reflection
This week our attention turns towards the kind of world we are called to build. What is required of us?
Holding the powerful to account is one of the most challenging themes of Advent. It is a challenge for our times that is becoming harder and harder to meet. Persistence determination courage are all needed more than ever as evidence mounts of the horrendous consequences of failing to do what is necessary to tackle climate change. How does the Advent ‘now‘ challenge us in this?
Like the world in which Jesus lived, times are troubled. Populism – and its darker counterpart in the far right – is rooting itself in poverty and in legitimate grievances. The nature of God’s kingdom where the poor are fed and the rich are sent away empty can seem to be a long way away. It is however earthed in our daily decisions and choices. Advent brings us face to face with the challenge ‘stand up,’ and to be visible.
People of God – we are called to wake up and to read the signs. We are called to recommit our energies to the things that have real value in the kingdom and to stand up. We are reminded that we are co-creators with God and not passive observers, whatever our age. Now is the time.
Now is the time for bold measures to tackle climate change – what will future generations say if we fail to act? Advent has a stern message for all who fail to see that ‘now’ shapes the future and in a very real sense the future therefore is also ‘now’. What is required of us? Simply that we stand up – that we become actively engaged.
Advent imagery is full of a sense of urgency: the days are surely coming (Jeremiah 33.14); there will be signs…now when these things begin…the kingdom of God is near…’ (Luke 21.25,28,31). God’s people are told to ‘be on guard’ (Luke 21.34), to be alert (Luke 21.36) and to attend to our hearts. This challenge is both individual and communal. How distracted are we in our church community by things that in the light of the kingdom are not really significant?
What encouragement can we find? Simply that even when we find ourselves in the dark, even there or especially there, God’s word and God’s presence can be found.
Prayer
1. You could use Jodi Page Clark’s song, ‘Look around you, can you see’ (Kyrie eleison) as a prayer – perhaps as a meditation in preparation for intercessions.
2. Place a large world map on the floor, and provide plenty of tea lights (electric ones are safer!). Invite people to place a tea light on the map as a prayer that the ‘light of Christ will shine into the darkness of that place’. You could accompany this the Taizé chant ‘Wait for the Lord whose day is near’ or ‘The Lord is my light’.
3. Pray for the trouble in the world using a ‘Kyrie eleison’ response between your prayers:
Now is the time.
O Lord, you call us to stand up.
Help us to hear your call to each one of us and to our church community
Give us courage and hope as we face the troubles of our world.
Kyrie eleison.
Now is the time.
O Lord, poverty and austerity are crushing the spirits of women and men,
and are limiting the life chances of millions of children.
Your power resides so often in the least and the lost,
the voiceless and the dispossessed.
May we read the signs of the times and hear the cries of those in pain.
Show us what we should do and keep us faithful.
Christe eleison.
Now is the time.
O Lord, the earth cries out.
The world that you created and entrusted to us is suffering.
May we attend to our responsibility and be vigilant about our life choices.
Help us to see the power of the ordinary in the daily fabric of our lives,
and to see the hope of a world that can flourish.
Kyrie eleison.
Questions
- In what ways is the church asleep when it should be alert?
- Is there a sense of urgency that we need to rediscover? How?
- How can we encourage one another when the world’s problems seem so overwhelming?
- If God is both beginning and end, how can this help us to see now in the light of eternity?
All-age activity & young people
You will need: A4 printed copies of a world map, electric tealights or candles. Give people a map and a tealight/candle. Invite everyone to pray for one issue or one country that needs God’s light, placing candle on the map over the place they are praying for. Ask everyone to look for good news stories of light in dark places during the weeks ahead. Take the map and light home as a reminder to do this, and share stories in the following weeks of Advent.
Diane Craven is a Reader in the Church of England, licensed to York Minster. She is a freelance education consultant and adviser in children’s spirituality.
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