THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
6th December 2025
Greetings,
Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees (Matthew 3.10). Substitute chainsaw for axe and these words of John the Baptist from tomorrow's gospel are entirely appropriate to this season of the year. There was a time when, mindful of the irony of cutting a tree down to use it as a symbol of enduring life, we experimented with rooted or potted Christmas trees. Unfortunately a potted tree loses its shape after a few years and we ended up with an unsustainable collection in the garden. Now, I have fewer scruples and see the cut tree as part of the cycle of life. When it is brown and bare I strip it to the trunk, cut it in two and refashion it into a cross which, decorated with lilies form the heart of our domestic Easter Garden. The cycle is completed at Advent when the dry and well seasoned timber burns beautifully on the fire.
John the Baptist of course had no such customs in mind. He was warning the political and religious establishment of his day that time was running out on their world of complacency and privilege. What was required of them was more than mere lip service but hearts and minds renewed in the grace of God and with a passion for justice. And just as the stump of a felled tree can be a dangerous stumbling block to the unwary, so the shoot from the stump of Jesse (Isaiah 11.1) would be their stumbling block. Strange language indeed, but again trees are at the forefront, the tree of Jesse (Jesus' family tree) and the tree of the Cross on which the authorities condemned Jesus to die. But ultimately he would rise and condemnation would be theirs. The enduring message is twofold. Time is short and we should never delay in seeking and sharing God's grace and mercy and, even in the least promising of times, we should never abandon hope. For as a shoot emerges from the stump of a once mighty tree, hope springs eternal.
Blessings,
Charles Booth
The Pew Sheet with notices and readings is attached. Thank you to all who have distributed Christmas services cards around the parish. Please do promote these occasions as widely as possible remembering especially Carols at All Saints (Saturday 20th) and Lessons & Carols with St. Mark's Singers on Sunday 21st. Also, The Crib Service with Christingles on Christmas Eve at 3pm.
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