Alumni Advent Article

Read the latest Alumni article for Advent

I’m someone who has 100 ideas before breakfast so with other responsibilities to attend to, I’ve had to sit on my hands a bit which isn’t always easy! However, it’s been perfect timing in that not only am I discovering more about the life of the college but the waiting has provided an opportunity to notice things I won’t have otherwise seen. As someone who has been involved in pioneer ministry locally and nationally for many years, the primary principle of any pioneer is to ‘listen first’, to notice God, the world, those around you and yourself before you leap into action. Its sometimes easier said than done.

I really like the season of Advent – not just because it’s the perfect reason not to put our Christmas tree up until the 24th of December (a huge debate in our house) but also because it allows a chapter change between the busyness of the autumn and Christmas, which seems to get earlier and earlier each year.

I recently accompanied by son’s class on a school trip to Wintershall, a beautiful country estate in the Surrey Hills where for many years they have staged wonderful live outdoor theatre depicting stories from the Bible. This production led us through the fields and woods encountering a series of New Testament parables. The parable of the 10 virgins was the one that stood out for me the most, partly because I’ve never really taken the time to understand it properly before but also because it is a powerful reminder that ‘waiting’ in God’s economy is not a dormant time but a season to ‘get ready’. Waiting therefore is as valuable as the anticipated event and God calls us to use this time wisely, preparing for him, in his way.

Advent in church leadership can seem like a bit of a marathon with endless events, school assemblies and sermon writing and by the time we get to Christmas we may feel we’ve harkened the herald once too often. As we begin to emerge from pandemic times there will be much to reflect upon. A key theme I have noticed already is the value of ‘being’ over ‘doing’. During lockdown we couldn’t continue to ‘do’ our usual life activities, instead we had to ‘be’. So much of ministry is really about ‘being’ although this can be a struggle with the reality of a long ‘to do’ list. This advent as we journey towards the celebration of Christmas let’s get ready by practicing a posture of ‘being’; in God’s presence, available to those we love or by accompanying those in need. Perhaps in this Advent, our was of ‘being’ may become our new way of ‘doing’.