Advent 2015 #4

We find ourselves well in to the season of Advent 2015. It’s that time of year when through these pages we seek to relate events and situations encountered in the previous months to something that might be significant to the meaning of this special time of year. Advent is a time of preparation, a time in which Christians throughout the globe consider and celebrate the coming of God in human form both historically 2,000 years ago and His promised future return. It’s a time of hope.

Moving around the City of Carlisle these past few days in the aftermath of Winter Storm Desmond has been a sombre and reflective time for us and I guess for many others. We find it difficult to separate our meditations on Advent from the reality that surrounds us. As we witness flooded and deserted expanses of what are normally busy, bustling areas of town the need for a sense of hope crystallises; hope for short term relief; hope for better times; hope for something more.

 

On these short December days and in times like these, the image below speaks of a sense of hope and an encouragement to go beyond where we may find ourselves now …