13 December 2009

Welcome to  St Alban’s Anglican Church      

Today's Scripture: Zephaniah 3:14-end        Philippians 4: 4-7                      S. Luke 3: 7-18

Today: 8.35 a.m. Matins; 9.00 a.m. Church School; 9.30 a.m. Holy Eucharist; 6.00 p.m. EP.

This Week: Tues – Fri: 12.30 pm Midday Prayers.  Sat 10 a.m. Ministry of the Word with Carols at HMP, Northward.

3^rd Sunday in Advent

O Lord Jesu Christ, who at thy first coming didst send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee: Grant that the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at thy second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in thy sight, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end.

 

FAITH IN FOCUS: HAPPILY EVER AFTER?

Today is known as Gaudete or Rejoicing Sunday, and St Paul is quite insistent that we should know what we are doing: Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice!

Happy is a strange word. Some people think they are happy but they're really only content. To be content means that we put up with something without complaining too much because we know things could be a lot worse. So we're content with our lot.

Some people think they are happy but they're really only pleased. Something has happened that has given them a bit of a fillip. Perhaps their football team has won an unexpected victory. But it's hardly ecstasy!

Some people think they are happy but they're really only in a good mood. Maybe they've been out to celebrate passing an exam or celebrating someone's birthday and they've had a lovely evening. But tomorrow this will only be a memory.

Content, pleased, glad, cheerful, jovial, merry … all of this is good but it's not actually the same as happiness.

To be happy means to be blessed. And to know that you are blessed makes you happy. Really happy. So at the root of happiness for a Christian is the knowledge that we are made in God's image, loved by him and held in that love every moment of our being. Although we stray from this image of God we are constantly called back to the joy of our relationship with God and are redeemed through Christ's death and resurrection. This is the greatest blessing we could wish for: to belong to God.

Pleasure is a fleeting thing. We can feel it today but it can desert us tomorrow. But Christian happiness is full of more than pleasure; it's coated with joy. And such happiness and joy can never be taken away from us, even though at times our vision of them may seem clouded.

As we continue our Advent journey Paul advises us to rejoice, be happy, for our God is very near and is coming to set us free. This deep-down happiness at the approach of our God is something that doesn't waver with every gust of the wind because it is at the heart of our loving relationship with God. In fact it's a real blessing.