Dear Friends,

 

Returning from my pilgrimage to India last week, it was a culture shock to re-enter the world of pre-Christmas – lights switched on, a countdown of shopping days, instructions to stock up and stir up festive food of all kinds. My two weeks in South India had been a time of living very simply: a vegetarian diet, few 'creature comforts', and a great deal of silence, as well as one or two encounters with shocking poverty which will stay with me for a long time. In the times of quiet meditation we sought to empty our minds of all the pre-occupations which normally clutter them, so

that the emptiness could be filled with an awareness of 'the divine presence' in us.....

 

At first glance, the reality of life at home seems the opposite of all this – far from emptying, we seem bent on filling everything possible – fridges, freezers, diaries, cupboards – and the spare room is cluttered with ever more bags of shopping (Christmas presents  for other people, so I don't feel too guilty!)

 

How, then, to reconcile, or hold together, these two worlds of quiet emptiness on the one hand, and noisy clutter on the other? Advent itself is a time of tension between two worlds; it is both a time of waiting in quietness (and darkness) for the moment when God will reveal himself as the  Christ-child; and at the same time, it's a period of busy preparation for the great celebration of

Christmas. I came back from India feeling wonderfully calm – but maintaining hat calm amid the mounting pressures of advancing Christmas will be quite a challenge!

 

There is a helpful concept in Eastern religion known as 'mindfulness'. This teaches that we can train ourselves to keep mentally focused on what really matters, and to live with an awareness of what lies beneath the surface. So, for example, at the Zen Buddhist meditation centre where we stayed (where the 'master' in charge is a Christian priest) we were asked to eat our meals with mindfulness, noticing and appreciating what we were eating, and reflecting with gratitude on the blessing of good food. The concept of 'mindfulness' can be applied in any situation - when we are  walking around, looking at nature, or in our relationships with one another - trying to be quietly aware of ourselves, other people, and our surroundings, living in the present moment, and not succumbing to the waves of panic about what has to be done which so easily threaten our calm.

 

And 'mindfulness' is a good way to approach Advent, too. Our clergy Advent 'Quiet Day' in Wells this week was led by Dr. Paula Gooder, a lively and interesting biblical scholar with a fresh approach to the Bible. She is the author of a very readable book entitled 'The meaning is in the Waiting – the spirit of Advent', and her thoughts about using this waiting time to pay mindful attention to the signs of God's presence in the world around us help, I think, to keep us focused:

 

            'Advent calls us into a state of active waiting: a state that recognises and embraces the glimmers of God's presence in the world........ Most of all, Advent summons us to the present moment, to a still yet active, a tranquil yet steadfast commitment to the life we live now. It is this to which Advent beckons us, and without it our Christian journey is impoverished.'

 

I hope this Advent will be a good time for us all, as, among the many tasks of preparing for Christmas, we remain calmly mindful of the quietly unfolding purpose of this special time.

 

With love,

Rosey