Sunday 28 November 2021
Advent Sunday
Sung Eucharist
Revd Nicholas Mercer
Today is Advent Sunday
It seems to get earlier every year,
However, whenever it falls, it marks the beginning of the Church Year
It is also the day on which we also baptise Hugo and Olivier
So it is a new beginning for all of us
(I suspect that very few of us know the date on which we were baptised
But Hugo and Olivier should always be able to remember the day
It is Advent Sunday
Something they should be able to remember throughout their lives – and for that we give thanks this morning)
As many of you know, we normally have our baptism services after the main Sunday service
This is not unreasonable as we baptise many people during the course of the year and, if we had a baptism in the middle of every service, it would not be fair on the congregation
However, when I heard that we had a baptism on Advent Sunday, I thought that this was a suitable occasion to combine the two
Because, in my view, there are some interesting parallels
First of all
The Season of Advent is about waiting for the coming of Christ into the World
Today we start a four week season in which we, as a Church, watch for the coming of Christ at Christmas
It is a time of looking forward
Looking forward to that day “when creation is renewed and Christ’s reign becomes manifest and universal”
This has a parallel with the spiritual life of Hugo and Olivier
Who, like the rest of us, now also await for that time
And will be reminded of this whenever they attend an Advent Service
Secondly,
Waiting for Christ to come at Christmas means that we are all on a journey
A journey through time over the next four weeks, to see the Christ Child
Whose birth we celebrate on Christmas Day
To remind ourselves of this journey we introduce some different rituals into the Church Service
The most prominent being the Advent Wreath
During Advent, we start each service for the next four weeks by lighting a candle and saying a prayer as we did today
But why do we have an Advent Wreath?
The origins are obscure
But, whatever the origins, the Advent Wreath is a sort of clock
A clock which marks out the weeks
Although there are different interpretations, one of them is that the four candles represent
· The prophets
· Mary and Joseph [on their way to Bethlehem]
· Shepherds
· Angels
With a white candle in the middle representing Christ
It is known as the “Christ candle” which is lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day
This is the story of our faith
One which we tell each year, not least in our service of Nine Lessons and Carols
And the story which the parents and Godparents will tell to Hugo and Olivier
And which Hugo and Olivier will learn like all baptised Christians before them
Thirdly
The final thing we remind ourselves of in the Advent journey is the destination itself
The final candle to be lit is the Christ candle
That is not only where we journey during Advent but where we journey throughout our lives
When we will all be united with Christ himself
And in the light of this destination, I think there is a different way of looking at the Advent Wreath and its five candles
The first is Baptism
And the second is Confirmation
(And I would like all the Godparents to walk with Hugo and Olivier at least to their confirmation)
The third candle is Ordination – and I would like both Hugo and Olivier to be ordained
The fourth candle is our death
I remember being told as a schoolboy that death was our final initiation into the Church
And found the idea so very exciting
The fifth candle, of course, is Christ himself
And this is the final destination for each and every one of us –
Irrespective of our earthly lives or even what we may have come to believe
Hugo and Olivier start their journey of faith today
And we welcome them on our Advent journey
A journey, not only to Christmas but from darkness into light
With the light of Christ to help illumine our pathway
At the end of the service we will present Hugo and Olivier with a candle to represent the light of Christ
And remind ourselves that we too walk in this light throughout our lives
And we wish God’s blessing on Hugo and Olivier and all here assembled as we do so