Advent 1 - Hope

AUDIO RECORDING - Todays Service -  led by Gavin Byrne

Also a short reflection by Brian...

Hope in a Fragile World - Luke 1:26-38 

Advent is a season of waiting and preparing. It is a sacred pause where we symbolically light candles against the gathering dark of winter, trusting all the while that the Light will turn. Today, on this first Sunday of Advent, we reflect on the theme of hope in a fragile world, hope, that fragile yet resilient light that lives on in our hearts even in the darkest of times.

The Annunciation, the angel's message to Mary, is more than a single moment in time. It is a universal metaphor for how the divine speaks into the fragile, human places of our lives. Mary, is a young woman of little status, living in a world dominated by empire, and is asked to carry the impossible: hope for a new world, a world shaped not by fear and power and violence but by love, service and peace. Her response, “Let it be,” (let it be to me according to your word) is an act of radical trust—a trust that the seed of hope planted in her would grow even amidst uncertainty.

In our own lives, we too are often visited by "angels"—not winged messengers, but whispers of possibility in the midst of despair. Sometimes, the hope offered feels as improbable as the angel’s promise to Mary. Yet, hope is not about certainty; it is about courage. It is about saying, "Yes," to the possibility of light, even when the shadows loom large.

Rumi writes, "Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Instead, let life live through you. And do not worry that your life is turning upside down. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?"

The world around us feels fragile—climate change, war, division, the cost of living crisis—but hope is not about ignoring these realities. It is about choosing to act in love despite them. In this regard, the Tao Te Ching reminds us: "A tree that fills a man’s embrace grows from a tiny shoot. A tower nine stories high begins with a heap of earth. The journey of a thousand miles starts from where you stand."

Hope starts small, like a seed in Mary’s womb, like the first flicker of a candle’s flame. It is nurtured by each act of kindness, each step toward justice, each word of compassion.

This Advent, may we embody Mary’s trust. May we cradle hope within us, even when it feels fragile. And may we, like her, dare to say, “Let it be,” to the dreams of a better world that the divine plants in our hearts.

I close with another quote from Rumi:  If everything around you seems dark, look again, you may be the light”  -  as Jesus reminds us in Matthew – You are the light of the world… Perhaps God wishes us to become the hope that people are looking for – the hope of the light of Christ's Love shining through us?