by Isla Huffadine

Chaplain's Chat

As we come to the end of our school year, Advent marks the beginning of the church year. The word “advent” comes from the Latin for “coming towards” - it is the coming of something. The season of Advent is all about the expectation and hope that comes when we have a special event we are waiting for and looking forward to.

I wonder what you are hoping for? It might be that we have a wonderful summery Christmas with friends and family safe around us. It might be that Covid goes away! Hope taps into something deep within us – there is a yearning for deliverance from the evils of the world, such as those we see on the news so often. It is the cry of those in our world who have experienced injustices and suffering, who have experienced war or illness and yet who have hope of new beginnings as refugees in new countries or as fully healthy beings in their own homes.

It is that hope, however faint and fragile at times, and however distant God sometimes seems, which never gives up. Because hope is essential. Without hope we lose our sense of purpose, a reason to go on. The birth of Jesus is the greatest sign of hope – that salvation can come even in the form of a vulnerable new baby, born to an unwed mother, in the poverty of a stable, in the most hopeless of situations.

So whatever you are hoping for, longing for – never give up. Even in a year like we have experienced – and are still experiencing – if you feel stressed, anxious, impatient, disappointed, or hopeless, we need to remember that we can always come before God, God always loves us,God never gives up on us, and God will always offer us hope.