Pause in Advent #1

At my recent conference, one evening’s prayers were on the theme of ‘angels’. Angels are messengers from God, and are mentioned throughout the Bible. People superstitiously believed that seeing an angel meant death was imminent – so they usually begin delivering their message with the words “Fear Not”. I tell the children that an angel these days is likely to say “Don’t Panic!”

With regard to the matter of wings – the Bible is quite clear that cherubim and seraphim have wings [Isaiah 6, Exodus 25] but angels are often mistaken for humans, so I am not convinced that are equipped with flying gear. However I try to be tolerant, especially at this time of year, with all those little children dressing up for Nativity plays. And all my Willow Tree angels have wings. I decided to take a different one of these figurines each Sunday as a starting point for my Advent Pausing. So here’s Pause # 1

This is the ‘Angel of Winter’ and her tagline is ‘welcoming all to the warmth of home and hearth’

Winter is often seen in a negative way – the weather is cold, the ground is hard, the garden is devoid of the colourful fruits and flowers of summertime, and many of the animals are hibernating. In the accursed Narnia it was ‘always winter but never Christmas’ Yes these things are true- but only give one side of the story.

I am not a gardener, but I know that brassicas, parsnips and some other crops benefit from frost, which develops their flavour. And a light coating of snow acts as an insulator, protecting some plants from the freezing air. The cold of winter can be very beneficial. Hibernation – the winter sleep – is a survival strategy for the animals who could not find food in the harsh weather. They awaken in the spring ready and able to face a new year – but they do need to sleep.

Winter is part of the seasonal cycle, part of God’s plan in Creation, so we should embrace it as such…and recognise it will soon give way to Spring. Maybe it should be a time to slow down a bit – though I’m not suggesting we actually go to sleep with the dormice.

Time to reflect on what we have achieved in the twelvemonth past, and look to God for guidance about plans for the New Year ahead.

My angel carries a wreath of evergreens – symbolic of the unending nature of God’s love. Always fresh, going on forever.

But my little figurine reminds me too, that I am blessed with a warm home, good friends, and a loving family. For these I am truly grateful. It is good to welcome others into our homes and share warmth and love and friendship. Last Sunday night, I drove over to Norfolk to do a few jobs at Cornerstones. As I pulled the car onto the drive, my neighbour came out. “I thought I heard the car – do you want to come in for a cup of tea, Angela?” I quickly put my two bags inside the bungalow [and turned on the heating!] then went round to her warm home for a cuppa and a chat. That was a lovely and unexpected blessing, I’d envisaged a long evening by myself as the property warmed up, instead I was able to share warmth and companionship with her before returning to my place. Thanks, Alwyn!

This December, I want to spend less time rushing about from place to place, and more time welcoming people to the warmth of our home, and the warmth of fellowship at our church.

My first angel – the Angel of Winter