From the Manse: A Thought for the Week

Sunday 30th November – Advent 1

​

Luke 1:26–38

​

Today, on this first Sunday of Advent, we find ourselves standing on the

threshold of a new season. Advent always begins quietly—an invitation

to pause between what has been and what is coming. Before we rush

ahead toward Christmas, Advent asks us simply to stop, to breathe, and

to pay attention to where we truly are.

​

Throughout Scripture, thresholds are treated as holy places. In Luke

chapter 1, Mary stands on such a threshold—between the familiar life

she has known and a future she could never have imagined. The angel’s

words to her, “Do not be afraid,” don’t take her fear away, but they

honour it. And Mary responds with trust: “I am the Lord’s servant.” She

steps forward in courage, not because she knows the full story, but

because she trusts the God who goes before her.

​

Advent offers us a similar invitation. It asks us to notice what we carry

from the year behind us—our joys and our burdens, our moments of

clarity and our questions. It doesn’t ask us to ignore any of this. Instead,

Advent invites us to bring the truth of our lives into the presence of Christ

who comes.

​

Psalm 130 captures this Advent posture beautifully:

“I wait for the Lord… my soul waits… and in his word I hope.”

This is not a passive waiting. It is an expectant waiting—trusting that

God is at work even when we cannot yet see how.

For some of us today, hope feels strong. For others, it may feel like a

small flame. But hope does not depend on how we feel. Hope rests on

the faithfulness of God. And Advent reminds us that God keeps promises

—always in love.

​

So as we begin this season together, I invite you to pause for a moment:

to look back with gratitude for the ways God has carried you;

to look honestly at where you are today; and to look ahead with even the smallest spark of expectation.

​

Christ is coming—not only in the story we remember, but into the real

places of our lives where we most need grace, courage, healing, or

peace. And we do not make this journey alone. The God who called

Mary, who heard the watcher waiting for the morning, who brings light

into the darkness—that God walks with us now.

​

As we enter Advent, may you find space to breathe.

May you notice the small wonders already around you.

And may your heart be open to the quiet possibility

that God is doing something new, even now.

​

And as we begin this season of waiting, I leave you with a few gentle

questions for your own prayer and reflection:

• What am I carrying into this Advent season?

• What do I need to place into God’s hands?

• Where in my life am I standing on a threshold, as Mary once did?

• Where might God be inviting me to trust or take a small step of courage?

• What hopes or longings do I want to bring into this season of waiting?

​

May God bless us as we wait, watch, and welcome Christ among us.

Let us look forward together with hope.

​

Blessings

Rev Jade