What a frantic season this can be, cards to send, presents to co-ordinate, food to purchase, events to attend. It can be a whirlwind of activity.

With this whirlwind, can also come pressure and worry however. People fall out over who is coming where. Anxiety builds when we take on too much. That old argument reemerges, and no one knows how it can be resolved. And there can be painful memories- so many reminders of the person no longer with us.

The season of Advent invites us to take moments of quiet. Instead of joining the melee of traffic jams and queues, God invites us just to sit, and to be.

Advent is a time of preparation- not specifically about decorating the Christmas tree and getting a new outfit! Rather just to turn our gaze to God, and to the significance of Jesus’ birth, the King of Kings born as a vulnerable and tiny human being.

Every baby born is a miracle, to give thanks for. There is an innate sense within us of the marvel of new life- when there is a baby in the room, your heart is drawn to them, their innocence, beauty and uniqueness. People spend hours just marvelling at the shape of their fingers and toes, and cooing over them. There is a sense of reverence and thanksgiving.

If these are the sensations we have in the presence of new life, imagine what it must have been like for Mary and Joseph that first Christmas. The prophets had foretold the birth of the Messiah for 100’s of years. Angels had spoken to Zechariah and to both Mary and Joseph directly. When they held the infant in their arms, they gazed on the demeanor of the Son of God. Round the back of the inn, amongst the animals and the hay, in the most unlikely and imperfect of circumstances, the Prince of Peace was born.

That sense of wonder, awe and thanksgiving, is central to the Christmas story, and to our preparations at Advent. We are not to focus on the superficial and the material. Rather we are to spend time sitting in candlelight, rereading the gospel narratives, praying for the holy spirit to fill us with reverent thanksgiving and joy.

The coming of our Saviour, reminds us that all is not lost. Though there is conflict and suffering, poverty and much pain in this weary world, yet God has not abandoned us. He sent His Son Jesus Christ, to save us from our sin, our prideful arrogance and stubborn rebelliousness, to offer forgiveness and peace. Every time we respond with humility and thanksgiving, we pray that the light of our Saviour would shine more brightly in this world.

We often despair at all that is wrong with the world, but when we see that, we also see that God can use even our small efforts to make a difference- to pray for peace, to reach out to the lonely neighbour, to be a peace maker in the midst of alienation.

This Advent, each day, may we have a quiet moment, when we reconnect with God. We might listen to Christmas carols, or put up a nativity, or just take time to imagine ourselves amongst the straw and the muck, gazing at the holy family, and that holy child in their midst with love and adoration.

Gracious God, forgive us for succumbing to the pressures of the season, rushing around, with the weight of expectations heavy upon us. Holy spirit, teach us to slow down, to pause and reflect, to reassess what is really important. Help us let go of perfectionism and to take time to medidate on that first Christmas, where the Prince of Peace was born amongst the animals round the back of the inn. So much was chaotic and messy, but in Your birth Lord Jesus we see Perfect Love being born. In the midst of our imperfect circumstances, may we make room for You, for that deep sense of wonder and awe to pervade all that we do. May this Advent be a slower and more contemplative time, that is all the more meaningful as a result, for the sake of the Babe of Bethlehem, Amen.