Curate Conundrums

  How are your preparations for Christmas going? Perhaps some of you are inwardly or outwardly rolling your eyes at the mention of it, but are you prepared? Have you got the Christmas tree? Have you ordered the figgy pudding? If you’re getting presents have you got them yet? In life we prepare for things all the time, meetings, seeing people, travelling places, what we’re going to eat, when are we going to do the laundry, or the gardening if we have one. We’re very fortunate to have Rob here at St Augustine’s who does so much planning for us, he gets the fruit, makes the coffee and even mows our lawns. We’re very fortunate to have our musicians, who think about what we’re going to sing, practice and enhance our worship. We’re very fortunate to have Carrie and Judy, who help in the setting up of this service, and we’re very fortunate to have all the rest of you here, who most likely planned to be here and are all wonderful! But here’s another question, are you prepared for the...

  " There may be trouble ahead, but while there’s moonlight, and music, and romance, let’s face the music and dance!” Or something like that anyway. So we’re here, the first Sunday of Advent, or as I like to call it, clergy meltdown season… In our modern commercial world the season of Advent often gets sucked up into the pre-Christmas excitefest! And yes Advent is about preparing for the coming of the saviour. But Advent is a season in its own right. Here’s what Times and Seasons, the Church of England seasonal liturgical handbook, which I’m sure you’ve all read cover to cover, says about Advent. “Advent is a season of expectation and preparation, as the Church prepares to celebrate the coming (adventus) of Christ in his incarnation, and also looks ahead to his final advent as judge at the end of time. The readings and liturgies not only direct us towards Christ’s birth, they also challenge the modern reluctance to confront the theme of divine judgement.” Or to put it ano...

Lost sometimes amongst the twinkling lights of this festive time of year is the season of Advent. A season when the church traditionally looks at meaty subjects such as heaven and hell, the eschaton (that’s the last things to me and you) and the judgement. As human beings the thought of eternity scares us. Some of us have probably got some idea of what eternity is like, if you’ve ever been to deanery synod for example. That seems to go on for an eternity. I joke of course. The theme I’d like to explore with you today is just that, the theme of judgement. Judgement often brings about a sort of, hand wringing embarrassment in some Christian circles. The judgement has been used as a tool to control people for centuries. Before the Reformation English Churches, like this very one would’ve been covered in pictures for the illiterate to see. Many would’ve contained gruesome images of what awaited those who didn’t believe the right stuff after death, or even worse, those who d...