The Cayman Islands are within the ancient
Episcopal Jurisdiction
of
The Bishop of London granted him by the Crown in 1634
St Alban’s (Grand Cayman) & St
Mary’s (Cayman Brac)
Church & Office - 461 Shedden Road
P O Box 719, Grand Cayman KY1-1103, CAYMAN ISLANDS
Tel (345) 949 2757 : Fax (345)
949 0619
www.churchofenglandcayman.com
rector@churchofenglandcayman.com
27 Nov 2011
Welcome
to St Alban’s Anglican Church
Today's Scripture: Isaiah 64: 1-9 1 Corinthians 1: 3-9
S. Mark 13: 24–end
Today: 8.35 a.m. Matins; 9.00 a.m. Church School; 9.30
a.m. Holy Eucharist; 6 p.m. EP
Wed (S. Andrew, Ap) 5 p.m. Holy Communion; Tues,
Thurs – Fri: 12.30 p.m. Midday Prayers
Saturday 3.00 p.m.
Rectory Tea Party
Next Sunday: 8.35 a.m. Matins; 9.00a.m. Ch School; 9.30 a.m. Holy Eucharist; 6.00 p.m. EP
1st
Sunday in Advent
Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works
of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this
mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility:
that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious Majesty to judge
both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and
the Holy Ghost, now and ever.
FAITH
IN FOCUS: THE GRINCH WHO STOLE ADVENT
Everyone
knows Christmas is on its way. The shops are full of it and commercials on TV
are already beginning to drive us to distraction. But never mind, the holiday
adverts and the sales announcements on Boxing Day will soon be on their way.
Yes,
Christmas is on its way. But that’s the point: it’s on its way; it’s not here
yet and before it arrives we have the wonderfully rich season of Advent to
celebrate.
Waiting
to go on holiday can be almost as much fun as actually going. Preparations for
a wedding add to the excitement of the day itself. And if your team reaches the
final, it’s the thrill of the knockout rounds that makes the day all the more
enjoyable.
The
Sundays of Advent lead us along a path of anticipation, expectation,
preparation and longing. They remind us that the more we spiritually get ready
for Christmas the more we will be in a mood to celebrate it at its deeper
levels. However, if the next three or four weeks are filled with nothing but
buying presents and stocking the fridge, then our Christmas will be nothing but
secular: it will come and go.
Advent
proclaims that Christ comes into our world and our lives. Really comes. We know
he came once as a baby. We know he will come again at the end of time. But he
comes in so many different ways in our workaday lives. So Advent is the season
when we recharge our batteries to stay awake, watching for the myriad people
and situations that Jesus uses to reveal himself to us and to ask for our
response.
In
our modern society it’s impossible to escape jumping the Christmas gun. Office
Christmas parties have already started and Nativity Plays and Carol Services
will fight with Advent for pride of place. But throughout all of this let’s not
forget what Advent offers us: the chance to examine ourselves on how welcoming
we are when Jesus comes to us through other people and their needs, and the
opportunity to express our sense of yearning for God’s kingdom to be extended
through our war-torn world.
Stay
awake, says Jesus. And make sure the grinch doesn’t steal Advent as well!