Romans 8:18-30 page 1

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Some weeks ago Debbie and I started buying a few things each week for the Christmas season. One week, having checked the 'use-by' dates carefully, we bought two chocolate Advent calendars: one for Rebekah and one for Mark. Last week, Debbie took the children to visit Rebekah's former child minder, who gave our two a present - a chocolate Advent calendar each. Yesterday, before visiting Broomfield's Christmas Market we attended the Christmas Fair at St Augustine's, where Rebekah won a number of prizes - including a chocolate Advent calendar.

What does Advent mean for our family? I think it means chocolate.

For our friends at Hatfield Peverel I think it means money. They have issued an Advent calendar where each day you give so much money for however many clocks, Bibles, gloves or other objects you have in your home. I have gently chided them also for constructing an Advent calendar that begins not on the first Sunday in Advent but on the first of December - a secular Advent, if you like.

So does Advent mean money, chocolate or the month of December? Of course for Christians it doesn't mean commercialisation, does it - despite the Christmas Market happening yesterday on International Buy Nothing Day? It means the season of preparing for Christ's coming, doesn't it?

Well, it does, but we tend only to interpret that as meaning 'preparing for Christmas'. It is that, but it is more. We are preparing not only to celebrate the radical truth of the Christmas story: that is to look back and see how the revolution which is the Incarnation changes everything. Advent also calls us to prepare by looking forward: the Advent Hope is about the expectancy of Christ coming again. It is hardly hope unless it looks forward.

Our reading from Romans is not one of the traditional Bible passages for Advent Sunday, but I was drawn to it in the week when searching on the Internet for inspiration and found someone writing devotionally about Advent using these verses. I want to explore the picture they give us of the Advent Hope - its content, context and certainty.

Now it has to be said that in exploring the content, context and certainty of Advent Hope Paul has in mind not only the children of God, he also has in mind the entire non-human creation. So we shall explore that hope in relation both to God's family and his creation.

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Copyright © David D Faulkner, 2006 except where other sources are attributed or noted as inspiration.