Okay, my next few posts are probably going to move a little outside of the “never heard” premise of these sermons. At this busy time of year, I am writing two or three messages for various school and congregational events each week, so have little time to spend writing the extra sermon based around the lectionary that is sitting in my head.

So this week I would like to share a series of reflections – a collaborative effort between four Year 11 girls and myself.  These girls stepped up to be a part of the student leadership team at out school and offered to help with the Year 11 chapel service this week. As the penultimate chapel for them this term, they chose to focus on the new advent banners that have gone up in our chapel. You’ll see their efforts below.

But working on this brought up an interesting quandary for me. As I was working with them on their messages, I was wondering about how could I mentor girls like these who could be wonderful leaders in our church? How can I encourage them and help them to consider a career in a church when the reality is limited opportunities and many difficulties? The truth is I’m not sure I want to plant that seed if it’s not already there.

So, anyway…just some musings and something that I will continue to consider as I work with the young people in my care. As you come come into the rapidly approaching Advent season, I hope that the reflections on the candles of Hope, Peace, Love and Joy speak to you as you prepare for the coming of the Christ-child.

Year 11 Chapel Outline

Advent – Candles and Banners

Invocation and Intro: Chaplain Kirstin

Preparing for Christmas – each week of advent has a candle and each candle has a special message – it reminds us of a gift we are given through God’s presence with us:

Candle 1 – Hope 

The first advent candle is the candle that represents HOPE.

We often underestimate the importance of hope in our lives.

Life can be unpredictable, hard and quite notorious at times.  Things often get out of hand and beyond our control. Hope is what helps us keep fighting on.  Hope helps us to bear with the sufferings of the present. Hope gives us strength to continue and look towards a brighter future.  

Hope is often recognised as the optimistic attitude of mind based on an expectation or desire. But there is more to hope than optimism. I want to share this quote from a former President of Czech Republic:

I am not an optimist, because I am not sure that everything ends well. Nor am I a pessimist, because I am not sure that everything ends badly. I just carry hope in my heart. Hope is the feeling that life and work have a meaning. You either have it or you don’t, regardless of the state of the world that surrounds you. Life without hope is an empty, boring, and useless life. I cannot imagine that I could strive for something if I did not carry hope in me. I am thankful to God for this gift. It is as big as life itself. (Vaclav Havel)

Hope is a gift – it is the state of mind that believes and desires a positive outcome to situations in your life.  Hope is the understanding that even if things don’t go as well as you’d like them to, it will still be worth it. Hope is what helps us to find meaning in even the most difficult situations. Hope is consistently looking forward to a positive outcome to something planned in our life.  Hope truly is stronger than fear.

As mentioned in the Bible, hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised for each and every one of us.

This reading from Romans Chapter 15 Verse 13 is a strong prayer for us when we are struggling to understand and experience hope in our lives, as St Paul says:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hope is a gift from God, because God is  hope.  The reading reminds us that the Holy Spirit can and will fill us until we’re overflowing with hope.  God’s hope gives us the joy and peace that we need in our lives.

It is important to remember when entering various hardships and difficult times in our life that we may have to accept finite disappointment, but we need never lose infinite hope.  Trust that God will help you to find meaning in all that you do. When you think that something is impossible or too hard to attain, trust that God is holding it in his hands, and that he will give you the strength that you need. Always have hope.

Candle Ritual:

As a reminder of Hope we have in Christ, we light this candle of hope, a beacon of light in the darkest of times.

Candle 2 – Peace 

The second advent candle is the candle that represents PEACE.

The word ‘peace’ is often thought of in a global sense, and hence, as a lack thereof. Peace increasingly seems to be a rarity on the world stage, with the news constantly dominated by headlines of violence and conflict.

But what about peace on a personal level? This relates more to being emotionally and mentally calm, and having tranquillity within. Especially at a stressful time of the term like Week 6, inner peace can seem incredibly difficult to achieve.  There are things we can do, techniques such as mindfulness and meditation that we can employ to give us a measure of peace in our busy lives. We seek to balance our lives, to take time to work, but also to seek time of rest with friends and family. And yes, these things do help, but there are times when those things we can do just don’t seem enough.

Jesus’ words from the Gospel of John speak loudest to us when we need peace the most. He says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

It is in the most difficult and stressful times that we know we can turn to God to restore our peace, because it is his gift to us.

Isaiah 9:6 says:

For to us a child is born,
   to us a son is given,
   and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
   Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

This explores the notion that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. It means that he was born to grant us peace and become a rock in which we find peace during difficult times. Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins, and to reconcile us with God and with each other. It is through his action that we may have deep and abiding peace – peace in ourselves, peace with each other, and peace with God..

As we start getting ready for Christmas, it’s worth remembering the nativity story, and particularly Luke 2:13-14, where it says:

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel,
praising God and saying,
Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests

Again, this conveys that through our faith in God, He will grant us peace. God’s peace is something that goes beyond the peace that the world can give us. It’s so more than a shallow feeling – God’s peace is a state of being.

Candle ritual:

And so today, we light this candle of peace as a reminder that God is the one who is able to bring peace to us in our busy lives.

Candle 3 – Love 

The third advent candle is the candle that represents LOVE.

Love is such a universal theme that you can find it almost anywhere you go. It has so many meanings, from the connections that we make with others, to the love and respect we show ourselves, to interpersonal connections with God and his Love.

Love is more than just something that we feel:

• love makes us come alive
• love helps us to grow as a human beings
• the love that we experience from friends and family points us towards that greater, never-failing love that God shows to us each day.

Knowing that we are loved helps us to overcome negative experiences and negative feelings. Oscar Wilde once wrote:

“Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and a richness to life that nothing else can bring.”

So, we know that love is important in our lives. But what happens when we don’t feel the love? What can we do when people, when family or friends let us down? What can we do when we find it difficult to love ourselves?

In a verse from John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

This verse tells us that God loves the world…but remember – it’s more personal than just that. It means that God loves you…God loves each of us. We see that God was prepared to sacrifice his only Son for our sins. God’s love is so great that he gave the heart of his love so that we may have eternal life and forgiveness. Jesus loved the world – each of us –  so much that he gave everything for us, from his rights and privileges, to his very life. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

But, there is still more to love than the great love that God has shown us. He helps to fix our broken relationships so that we can experience love all around us – in the people we care for and who care for us. Love is in our friends and family who we support through hard time, the people who we wholeheartedly appreciate and feel a deep sense of thankfulness towards being in our lives.

So, as we approach the end of the year, as we get ready for Christmas, what does Love mean to you? Where do you experience love, and how can you share love with those around you?

This is St Paul’s prayer from Colossians 2:2-3, and it’s also a prayer for you at this time of the year:

My prayer is that your hearts may be encouraged and strengthened. I want you to be joined together in God’s love. Then your understanding will be rich and complete. You will know the mystery of God. That mystery is Christ.  All the treasures of wisdom and love are hidden in him. 

Candle ritual:

And so today, We light this candle of love as a reminder that God is love and that he helps us to show his love in the world.

Week 4 – Joy 

The fourth advent candle is one that represents JOY.

Joy is a feeling that runs deeper than pleasure, lasts longer than fun, and is more powerful than happiness. For everyone sitting here in the chapel at many times in our life, and surely in the future, we will experience joy. Whether it be the joy of finishing an assignment, or getting to spend time with friends and family, or experiencing something new.

Often times, we find ourselves too bogged down with stress, overwhelmed with work or navigating an emotional roller coaster, that we forget about all the things we have going for us. We have this unfair expectation that only huge milestones in our lives are worth celebrating; but if you look hard enough, you really can find joy in our everyday lives and things that are always happening around us.

God places great emphasis on joy. He knows that joy is important for our overall well being, and as such, Jesus, in His final moments before death, called His disciples and said to them:

“In Me, you may have peace, but in the world, you will have trouble, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Joy is a virtue that is in everyone’s reach, because without it, life’s troubles will only continue to consume our thoughts. But in finding joy when life is hard and tests our faith, our lives become so much more purposeful, and we are able to realise the privilege we have all been granted to experience life on Earth.

Joy amidst great struggle is possible. Great leaders and strong nations were born from trials and adversities. The same can apply to us. At different times life will send us hardships and obstacles, and all that can and sometimes will go wrong. When this happens we may be burdened with feelings of unhappiness, sadness and grief, but how do we respond to this?

We can rejoice in the salvation that comes from God. As we come to recognise God’s working in our lives, we come to experience the joy that only he can bring. So in the midst of trials and difficulties, look to God and rejoice in the one who is able to change your sorrow and sadness into joy and happiness.

Psalm 30:5 says:

“For his anger lasts only a moment,  but his favour lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,  but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

God has promised to restore your joy even after you have messed up. It’s easy to rejoice in the good times, but in testing times, its a touch more difficult, especially if you allow these feelings of failure to overwhelm you.

David found himself in a similar situation when he committed adultery. He felt worthless, remorseful, and joy was a far cry. But he recognised God’s forgiveness, a gift that encouraged him to try better, to act better, and he discovered a new joy in his the Lord.

The same is true for us after we have done something we regret and are encompassed by feelings of worthlessness and remorse, or when we are down about situations in our life. When this happens, we aren’t excited about shouting praises to God.

But Psalm 30:5 gives us hope, it says that God isn’t angry forever, but He will have mercy and forgive our sins. So after you have messed up, know that God is still there for you, giving his free gift of salvation to you. Find joy in the forgiveness he brings, and the happiness you will find because of it.

Ritual Candle:

And so we light the last candle on our wreath, the candle of Joy, as a reminder that God’s presence with us in this world is something to truly rejoice about.

Ritual action: Chaplain Kirstin

God came to earth to help us – these are just some of the many gifts he offers us through his presence. Which of these gifts do you need most in your lives? Love? Joy? Peace? Hope?

Through these last few weeks of school, as you start to get ready for Christmas, which do want most? Write which of these four gifts you pray for, and, write it on a flower and place it at the cross as you reflect in what it means to you.

Prayers: (Short prayer each)

Carol: Joy to the world

Blessing: