Pancake Day

Pancakes for lunch today. Being away from home on Shrove Tuesday doesn't have to mean missing out on the best part of Lent. Today's Leap Day seems a good opportunity to celebrate Lent in style. After all, Lent is a day longer in this Leap Year.

The foundations of Lent lie in the gospel accounts of the devil tempting Jesus. Fasting during Lent is based on Jesus' refusal to alleviate his hunger by turning stones into bread. Traditionally, Christians intending to observe the Lenten fast cooked pancakes on the day before Ash Wednesday to use up some of the foods they would be denied during the forty days of the Lenten fast.

The notion of Lent as a time for giving up things we enjoy persists in today's secular world as a result of an emphasis on this one aspect of the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness. The link between fasting and spirituality continues in many Christian traditions.

While in the wilderness Jesus battled more than the single temptation to use his power to feed himself. Both Matthew and Luke record two further tests that relate to the ministry Jesus would exercise during his earthly life. Forty days of isolation and temptation were a time of preparation for Jesus as he began his life's work.

Lent in its fullest sense is a season of opportunity rather than six weeks of obligation. Pancakes on a Leap Day are just the start.

Forty days and forty nights

Given the weather in Britain so far this year the forty days and forty nights of Lent seem more likely to resemble the Days of Noah than to mirror the Wilderness experience of Jesus.

Widespread rain and high winds have made this February the wettest on record for over 250 years. Daily news reports show both the damage done and the distress of those for whom this current inundation is not their first experience of flooding. Having made what preparations they can, they now watch and wait in fear of what will come next.

The ancient story of Noah tells of a similar experience. Noah, his family and an assortment of  animals sat on the ark and watched as the flood waters rose around them. But the waiting wasn't over when the rain finally stopped. It took months for the waters to subside and even longer before it was safe to leave the ark. Eventually, life on the outside was once again possible. A rainbow appeared and a new covenant between God and humanity was established. Noah and his family gave thanks to God and began the task of starting over. Noah's story is one of challenge and change.

We cannot know how long it will take for the floods to subside in the worst affected parts of Britain. Like those living through this challenging time we watch, we wait, we hope and we pray for a change in the weather. And perhaps, as we begin our Lenten reflection on the lives we live as people of faith, God will challenge us to consider how changes in our lives might contribute to creating a world in which life without fear of flood is possible.

Light upon the mountains

There's a light upon the mountains,
and the day is at the spring,
When our eyes shall see the beauty
and the glory of the king;
Weary was our heart with waiting,
and the night watch seemed so long,
But his triumph day is breaking,
and we hail it with a song.
Henry Burton (1840-1930)




The waiting is almost over. In a few hours it will be Christmas Day. At midnight on this Christmas Eve many Christians will welcome the Christ Child at Midnight services. And tomorrow it will be Christmas Day.

For a few more hours the watching and waiting continue. But now weariness is replaced by a sense of expectation. Soon we will welcome God in our midst. Our hearts sing. Hope is reborn.

Dreaming of a White Christmas

They said there'll be snow at Christmas

They said there'll be peace on earth.

But instead it just kept on raining:

A veil of tears for the virgin birth.

Here in the South of England hopes of a White Christmas are always something of a dream. Since 1960 there have been just ten snowy Christmas Days. Autumn 2019 has brought persistent rain that has left much of Britain waterlogged. Flooding is causing difficulties in some areas. Roads and rail services are affected at one of the busiest times of the year. As what the media describe as 'the great Christmas getaway' begins anxiety levels rise for those with plans to be away from home this year.

As we move towards Christmas Day the words of Greg Lake's 1975 Christmas song seem somehow prophetic. Christmas is too often not as we hope it might be. White Christmases aside, the hope of peace on earth too often seems unrealistic. In local communities, nationally and internationally, conflict and tension are a sad fact of life. Can we do other than weep as we wait for Christmas Day?

We are drawing near to the end of Advent. Christian churches will soon be telling once again the story of the coming of the Christ Child. Immanuel, God with us, has come to reawaken in each of us a hope that transcends human dreams. A hope that transforms a world waiting for the dream of peace on earth to become a reality. A hope not just for Christmas and Christians but a hope that could just change everything.

O come, O come Immanuel

O Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel,

who appeared to Moses in the burning bush

and gave him the law on Sinai:

Come and redeem us with outstretched arm.

(Advent Antiphon for December 18)

During the final week of advent many Christian traditions use a series of seven prayers known as the Advent Antiphons. Verses of the nineteenth century advent hymn O come, O come, Immanuel bring these together in a musical setting still used in many churches.

Used as prayers through the final week of advent these short prayers express the hope of redemption and deliverance from the darkness of exile. Most are based on Old Testament passages that remind God's people of their history. The God who has been faithful in the past can surely be relied upon to fulfil promises in the future. As the Christian community moves towards Christmas Day it does so in the sure and certain knowledge that this is no vain hope.

O come, O come, Immanuel.

Hark! The herald angels sing

Hark! The herald angels sing
Glory to the new born king.
Peace on earth, and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled.
Charles Wesley (1707-88)


Angels are around every corner at Christmas. No nativity play is complete without several. In our homes and shopping centres they are to be found atop Christmas trees. On the cards we send to friends and family artistic representations of these elusive beings remain popular. Gabriel and the heavenly choir feature in carols and songs. It just wouldn't be Christmas without them. 

Christian tradition tells of angels appearing to both Mary and Joseph before the birth of Jesus. Shepherds on the hills near Bethlehem were startled by a massed choir of angels soon after the event. As heavenly beings the angels in the Christmas story acted as intermediaries between God and humanity. Those who encountered them were initially disturbed but ultimately encouraged by the message delivered.

Christmas angels speak of good news and invite humanity to be part of the new work that is about to begin. Centuries later their words are repeated and the invitation to be part of the story is extended afresh to each new generation.

Expect the unexpected

For many of us, travelling is very much a part of Christmas. Many journeys are made by road, rail, coach or bus to visit relatives or friends. Already the roads are busy as people make their way to town centres or out of town stores to buy presents, decorations and food. With just two weeks until Christmas Day time to prepare for the perfect Christmas is running out.

The story of the first Christmas as told by Luke begins with an unexpected journey forced upon a pregnant woman and her husband. A government edict meant that Mary and Joseph would have to travel to Bethlehem to be registered in a census. The couple travelled light, hoping this unwelcome trip would be a short one and that they would make it home before the baby put in an appearance. Things didn't quite work out. The small town was heaving. Hotel space was at a premium. There was no time to prepare...no clothes for the baby...nothing was as it should have been. God's promised messiah arrived with little ceremony and slept in a hay filled manger.

That same night, shepherds on the hills near Bethlehem were startled by bright light and an angelic choir. They made their way down to the town to see the new baby. Coming in from the east a group of astrologers travelled towards Jerusalem by the light of an unusual star. They were looking for a king and were eventually directed to Bethlehem where they found a tiny child. A child that would bring light for the whole world and hope for generations to come.

As we prepare to celebrate this Christmas may we be surprised and delighted as we find ourselves in the presence of the Christ child who comes to bring light and life to this world.