07 Dec 2020

The joy of advent and God's faithfulness

The Southern Cross newspaper – December 2020

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The Southern Cross  |  7 December 2020

The joy of advent and God's faithfulness

My dear sisters and brothers in Christ, one of the great joys of coming to Adelaide is the unexpected surprise of November.

In November, the Jacaranda trees are in full bloom and are striking. It was a great joy to drive or walk around and see them in full flower. It is almost as if, after a very dull and confined and difficult year, this outburst came unexpectedly, bringing life and hope and joy. I hadn’t really lived in a place where this was the case before, thus making the impact more manifest. This joy is even more so as it so wonderfully aligns with the coming of the Advent season.

The mauve-purple colour is closely associated with Advent. It is a deep purple tinged with the white of Christmas. A reminder that Emmanuel, God-with-us, is continually bursting through the ordinariness of life. Life is thus transformed.

The Second reading on the First Sunday of Advent this year was taken from Saint Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. It finishes with three words; God is faithful. (1Cor 1:9).

These three words have been a constant companion for me throughout my spiritual journey. They summarise in a simple and beautiful way what it is that this gift of faith business is all about; what it is we are supposed to do and what it is we need to imitate. In these three words we come to know God’s faithfulness and are invited to imitate that faithfulness.

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