Gospel for the day -  1st Sunday of Advent - Year A

Matthew 24:37-44
‘Stay awake so that you may be ready.’

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples: ‘For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’


This is the gospel of the Lord. Commentary




Having used our prayer resources, you might want simply to reflect yourself on them and how that might flow into your coming week.

Some people have found it very helpful to meet with others and share their thoughts. If you are interested in joining a small group to share your thoughts and feelings about God's Word please email us: cluster.alpha@outlook.com




Questions for reflection (framed for a group discussion)


We all know that during the four weeks of Advent most of us will have to get through a mountain of tasks involving the cluster, our work, our friends and our families. There will be buying and wrapping of presents, shopping and cooking aplenty, even the occasional extra church visit in Advent... 

Many will dread the amount of time involved - just as some will dread the loneliness of having to do very little at all. 

Perhaps we can interpret today's message to "stay awake" as meaning "stay conscious", "keep someone in mind". 

We can't ignore Christmastide, but we can make the supreme effort to remain conscious of the central character in it all - the Christ child. If we can get into the way of linking all our preparations into the mantra "Maranatha - Come Lord Jesus" (as we trudge round the shops!) we will have started something really important. We will be living our lives "in Christ" not just for Christmas but forevermore.


1. "Maranatha at the shops

Maranatha meeting friends

Maranatha at the sink

Maranatha as day ends." 

Share the ways you will seek to keep returning to the Christ child this Advent.


 2. What will you do during Advent so that others can see that you have put on the light of Jesus Christ?*



 * All second questions © The Pastoral Center


Prayers of Intercession

For Pope Leo and all faith leaders, that they will encourage everyone to trust that God’s promises of justice and restoration will be fulfilled, and to wait with patience and hope in these challenging times.

Maranatha ... Come Lord Jesus, come


For the City of Jerusalem and for all the peoples of the Middle East, that a word of peace and reconciliation may be heard afresh and that the land into which Christ was born, may be healed of all intolerance and hatred.

Maranatha ... Come Lord Jesus, come


For the displaced people of the world, who are suffering as a result of war, famine or extreme poverty. May they be given a vision of hope through the agencies bringing relief and may the leaders of all nations recognise the futility of war and work towards peaceful solutions.

Maranatha ... Come Lord Jesus, come


For the grace of attentiveness, that we may be aware of the signs of the times and that the Spirit will shake us from our complacency to live more simply and find greater ways to care for our common home.

Maranatha ... Come Lord Jesus, come


For ourselves, that we will be watchful and prayerful, remembering that prayer helps us to stay connected to God. May we live as children of the light, showing God’s love, patience and compassion to others, and by this make Advent a meaningful time of preparation for His coming.

Maranatha ... Come Lord Jesus, come


For those who are burdened with poor health in mind, body or spirit, that the Lord would be close to them and help them to be at peace, and inspire others to be present to them in their suffering. We remember especially those named by the Prayer Foundation.

Maranatha ... Come Lord Jesus, come


For everyone in our community who has died and all those whose anniversaries occur at this time. In particular: Pauline Aylott, Brian Phillips, Stuart Millikin, Mary Williamson, Laurence Loy, Dorothy Jackson, Philip Sheppard and Mary (May) Murray. May they enjoy forever God’s Kingdom of love, joy and peace.

Maranatha ... Come Lord Jesus, come


We will now say together the prayer to be missionary disciples.

Cluster prayer

Lord continue to bless our community in this time of transition.

Help us on our journey to grow from a maintenance church to a missionary church.
Give us the courage to be missionary disciples.
Make our doors wide enough to receive all who need human love and fellowship; narrow enough to shut out all envy, pride and prejudice.

Kindle in us the fire of your love that all who come here will find joy, peace and love.

Make this a house of prayer and a gateway to your kingdom.

AMEN

Preparing for next week -  2nd Sunday of Advent - Year A

Matthew 3:1-12
‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’

At In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.” ’


Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt round his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptised by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father”, for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.


‘I baptise you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’


This is the gospel of the Lord. Commentary



Questions for reflection (framed for a group discussion)


The Church's understanding of Advent as a time of reflection and changing our ways, which bears some similarity to Lent, is growing more and more counter-cultural in a consumerist world. Yet in today's gospel, John doesn't mince his words: Repentance is a central element of preparing the way for the Lord. John is equally clear that repentance is not something that happens solely in the silence of our hearts. It has to bear fruit or it is worthless. It must move us to more love, charity and justice in what we do. Then we will be preparing the way for Jesus not only for ourselves, but also for the world around us. Amidst the hustle-bustle of this busy period, perhaps we should make time to listen deeply within and act upon what we find. 


Q1. Share an experience of how you acted upon something that weighed on your conscience and how you felt afterwards.

Q2. What do you need to change so that others can learn from watching you that Christ walks among us?*



 * All second questions © The Pastoral Center