Pew Sheet, Sunday, 30th November 2025, Advent 1: Advent Sunday

Waiting with Holy Uncertainty

Advent is always a time of tension for me, for even as the world, and let’s be honest, many in the Church, rush to welcome the arrival of Christmas, the Lectionary tells us that it is a time to stop and wait, and to face the uncomfortable truth that none of us know exactly when Jesus will make his triumphant return to earth, even as we prepare to celebrate his first coming on that first Christmas Eve. This is at the heart of this Sunday’s Gospel, when Jesus tells his listeners, ‘…about that day and hour no one knows… therefore, stay awake.’

In saying this, Jesus directly confronts our inherent desire for certainty and control over our circumstances, in which we long for clarity, seek assurances, and expect a clear timeline or roadmap showing us how, when, and where future events are likely to play themselves out. As a species, we seem destined to worry constantly about the future, rather than living life in the moment, and taking time to savour and enjoy what we already have, so I am sure the words Jesus spoke were as dissatisfying to his listeners as they are to us.

The Jewish believers in first century Palestine were desperate to know when the Messiah would usher in his kingdom and end the cruelty, the daily grind, and the struggles they experienced under their Roman overlords and the evil and unscrupulous rule of their quisling Herodian Kings. But in this passage, Jesus tells his listeners, and us too, that the most important event in human history, the moment when God will finally break into every single person’s life without exception, is not an event that can be scheduled into our diaries, but must be waited, and perhaps, even longed for.

Advent then, is not only the countdown to Jesus’ incarnation in Bethlehem. It is a lesson in holy uncertainty, reminding us that we are not in control of God’s timing or even of our own lives as much as we would like to believe, but are commanded to wait patiently for the coming of the risen Christ, the ‘Son of Man’ to be revealed at a time when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess him as Lord. More than that, Jesus bids his hearers to, ‘stay awake’
while doing so; and reveals that our waiting should not be passive but active. It is an invitation to spiritual attentiveness in the middle of uncertainty, in the knowledge that Christ reveals himself to us continually; but often does so quietly and unexpectedly. If we treat life as something to be rushed through impatiently, demanding and expecting that things will make sense as soon as possible, we might miss the very peace that we are seeking, and our spiritual, as well as our physical rest may be fitful and dissatisfying.

In a season full of distractions, staying ‘spiritually awake’ might be the hardest part of Advent. The additional demands – and some might say, the tyranny of unrealistic Christmas expectations, may dull our sense of the sacred, so that we drift off into a spiritual sleep, not because we intend to, but because we forget that God is already at work in the ordinary things of life. Jesus uses the example of two women milling grain together, a common and not unusual sight in first century Palestine, because it shows us that the sacred – or even the arrival of God himself in our midst, can happen in the middle of the dullest or most mundane of days, or conversely, it may go completely unnoticed if we busy ourselves too much! ‘Staying awake’ means making space within the humdrum, or even the busy events of our daily lives and festive preparations, so we can recognise God’s quiet approach and make room for him there.

The early Christians lived in a world of fearful persecution, political instability, and seismic upheaval. Yet they held onto hope because they trusted in the one who holds time itself. Our uncertainties may be different to theirs, though they often seem very similar. As a consequence, the spiritual invitation to us is the same as theirs. Advent invites us to keep hoping, even if we cannot yet see that which we are waiting for. The only question is whether we can trust God’s timing over our own, and his plans over ours? This is why we have the Advent wreath before us. One candle is lit, then another, with stretches of darkness in between. Hope grows slowly, flicker by flicker, because God does not rush the dawn and neither should we. Advent sanctifies our waiting, so that we do not meet God in spite of our fretfulness or uncertainty, but through them. Let us pray then, ‘Come, Lord Jesus, and teach us to wait well for your coming.’

Collect

Almighty God, as your kingdom dawns,
turn us from the darkness of sin to the light of holiness,
that we may be ready to meet you in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 12:1-5

You will say on that day: I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, and you comforted me.
Surely God is my salvation. I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; and he has become my salvation.
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say on that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted.

Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Romans 13:11-14

Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Matthew 24:36-44

“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

Post Communion Prayer

O Lord, make us watchful,
and keep us faithful as we await the coming of your Son our Lord.
So that when he appears, he may not find us sleeping,
but active in his service, and joyful in his praise.
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Monday (Charles de Foucauld, Hermit in the Sahara, 1916)

Bell Ringing Practice, 7.30pm in St Laurence. Contact Jan on 07835 461361.

Zoom Julian Group at 8pm, Group ID: 996 4332 0665 password: Julian

Tuesday

Zoom Morning Prayer at 9am ID: 539 3978774 Password: TuaR0T (The 0 in R0T is a zero not the letter ‘O’) or email: [email protected]

Daytime Bible Study Group (2^nd and 4^th Tuesdays), contact Paula on 07803 942 687 for more information.

Evening House-group, contact Jo on 07803 942 687 for more information.

Wednesday (Francis Xavier, Missionary, Apostle of the Indies, 1552)

Morning Coffee from 10.00-11.45 in the St Laurence Rooms.

BCP Holy Communion at 12.00 noon, St Laurence.

Thursday (John of Damascus, Monk, Teacher of the Faith, c749)

Daytime Homegroup, contact Jo on 07803 942 687 for more information.

Christmas Fair, 5pm in the St Laurence Room, followed by the lighting of the Christmas tree at 6pm in the Market Square and carols in church from 7pm.

Friday (Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, c.326)

Junior Choir at 6.30pm, followed by full Choir Practice at 7.30pm.

Saturday 6^th December

St James’ Christmas Bazaar, 2pm-5pm, Children’s activities, gifts, crafts, tombola, refreshments and more! (Raffle tickets available in St Laurence).

Sunday 7^th December

• Nine Lessons and Carols, 5pm St Mary’s Church Addington.

Sunday 14^th December

• Nine Lessons and Carols, 5pm at St James’ Church Gt Horwood.

Sunday 21^st December

• All Age Communion and Nativity Service, 9.30am at St Laurence.
• Nine Lessons and Carols, 6pm at St Laurence.

Wednesday 24^th December

• Candlelit Nativity Service with Christingles, 3pm at St Laurence.
• Candlelit Nativity Service with Christingles, 4.30pm at St James’.
• Benefice Midnight Mass, 11pm at St Laurence.

Thursday 25^th December

• Benefice Celebration and Communion Service, 10.30am, St Laurence.