Today (Sunday) marks the beginning of Advent. The world we live in sees these few weeks leading up to Christmas as the Christmas season. Shops have had carols playing and decorations up for a week or two now. It all becomes a mad dash to get ready for Christmas day, and then it is all over. Most people would be confused if we told them that it was really Advent now, and that Christmas doesn’t start until Christmas day and carries on for the next two weeks after that. So what is Advent? It is a time of expectant waiting for the coming of Christ. It is a time of making sure that we are awake, and have our party shoes on. We are not talking about passive waiting here, but an active alert waiting. We actively wait for God. And maybe God is actively waiting for us? Advent also heralds the beginning of a new church year, and a new gospel to hear from. Bishop Helen-Ann Hartley notes that “(a) new Gospel unfolds before us, but not from the beginning! Advent is traditionally a time o...