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 Dear Friends;
One of the highlights of my year is to sing 'O Come, O Come, Immanuel' on the first Sunday in Advent (and as often as I can get away with it after that!). Not only do I like plainsong, but I appreciate the way in which this hymn leads us into Advent. It isn't what you would call a cheerful hymn, but it is about real experiences: mourning, loneliness, lostness, misery, gloom, darkness, and shadow. It is about longing for Immanuel in this
contest of deep sadness. Even now, in the midst of a recession, we are encouraged to spend, to buy ourselves out of the recession. What if we all decided that we don't need to buy more? Or at least more on the scale that would be needed to buy ourselves out of the recession. What would happen if we couldn't mask the experiences to which the hymn refers, with excessive buying? Advent is a good time for us to acknowledge the sadness, not only in our lives but in the lives of others, here and in the world. Even though we might want to rush through Advent to Christmas Day and beyond, take some time to acknowledge how you feel and to try to appreciate what others might be experiencing. It is Immanuel for whom we are waiting, not an end to the recession.
And on that note, best wishes from Peter and me, that Immanuel will indeed come, to you and to the whole of creation.
Peace, Pat
[We are sorry that Pat and Peter missed our stirring rendition of 'O Come, O Come, Immanuel' on Advent Sunday due to illness, and we trust that they are now well. We are confident that Pat will make further opportunities to sing that particular carol in the next few weeks!]
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