December Blog 2025
Advent Reflection by Kathryn Elsmore, Curate
When you hear the word advent, what do you think of?
Advent means ‘coming’ or ‘arriving’. It is the beginning of the new church year and is a time for preparing for the birth of Jesus. It is also a time for us to look at our lives and reflect on them, turning away from what hinders us, and turning towards Christ. Can I encourage you this Advent to spend time seeking God, in preparation for the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Advent has become commercial. The thought seems to be that we should spend lots of money on pure indulgence. We can feel pressured into buying children an array of expensive toys and gadgets, that will soon be broken, out of date, or discarded. We can be made to feel that we need an expensive tree with luxury decorations, a selection of Christmas clothes including Christmas jumpers where the whole family and even the dog match, (the last is fine, if that’s what you want!). As for food and drink, the shops only shut for one or two days (it really should be two), and people buy far more than what they and their family or friends can possibly eat.
The first Christmas was bleak and had a harsh reality that we fail to recognise as we celebrate Christmas in the Western world[1]. There was travelling a difficult journey, to Bethlehem, which resonates with our journey as we walk with Jesus. The feeling of exclusion was real as they struggled to find anywhere for Mary to give birth. There was certainly no mention of a palace suitable for the future King. Christmas in our contemporary culture is so different from our understanding of the Christmas reality told in the Bible.
This is not the case all over the world. For example, in Ethiopia, they fast for 40 days during Advent, and do not eat meat, dairy or eggs. They go to church at 3am on Christmas morning, to celebrate Jesus coming into the world. Later they have a simple meal together. There are no cards or presents, no Santa or decorating the house, it’s not commercial but it is all about being together to celebrate Jesus coming into the world[2].
Whilst for some, Christmas is a time of excitement, with meals and parties, presents and making memories, for others it is not like this. It is a time of pain, of loneliness, or poverty. Pain from not being well, or pain from not being with those they love, either through distance, loss or family breakdowns. There is also so much brokenness in the world, that it can feel hard to want to think about Christmas, in its worldly sense. However, Christ was born as a baby to give us hope, faith, joy and peace. This was fulfilled through his death on the cross, and resurrection.
I like Tom Wright’s analogy of a bike wheel going around in circles. It goes round and round but at the same time, the bike moves forward, it is not simply going round in circles with Christmas coming once a year. It is moving forward according to God’s plan for the whole of creation, as we travel from the first advent to the second coming, where God’s plan will be fulfilled.
As Tom Wright puts it, ‘[We are] Advent people: people of light in a dark world, people of hope in times of despair. People who follow Jesus’[3].
Advent Wreath
We have the Advent Wreath where we light a candle each Sunday. The wreath is made of evergreens, which symbolises living forever; the circle of the wreath has no beginning and no end, symbolising the eternity of God. The first four candles are lit each Sunday and represent hope, faith, joy and peace. The last candle to be lit on Christmas day and represents Jesus, our saviour.
[1] Stephen Burns, Liturgy (2nd ed), (SCM, 2018, p. 157).
[2] Emma Fowle, Premier Christianity, December 2025.
[3] Tom Wright, Advent for Everyone: A Journey Through Matthew, (SPCK, 2016).