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This weekend we begin a new Church year and enter the season of Advent. It’s a time of looking to the coming of Jesus: as a child at Christmas, and in glory at the great fulfilment of all God’s purposes. It’s a time of waiting, watching, and preparing.

There are various great resources with which to travel through the season of Advent. Here are a few of them (click on the headings to read more):

SONGS FROM A STRANGE LAND (An Australian Advent Calendar)

An app produced by the Anglican Board of Mission. “Scripture readings, quotes, photographs, poems, cartoons and songs take you through Advent and Incarnation with a particular emphasis on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Christianity, the Australian landscape and Creation theology.”

FEAR NOT (daily reflections for Advent)

A short reflection sent to your inbox each day of December. Produced by Common Grace, 25 Christians share their reflections on how we can move beyond fear to become peacemakers in our world.

#AdventWord (a digital Advent calendar)

“Each day during Advent, participants will receive a daily reflection on the theme for the day. They are then encouraged to think and pray about the theme before sharing their own reflection, which could be an image or a “meaningful reflection”; and then share it to social media using the #AdventWord hashtag and the hashtag of the daily theme.”

Bishop Kate led us today in a wonderful celebration of the Feast of St Clement, marking 130 years of the St Clement’s congregation (in multiple locations) and also the opening of our newly completed outdoor area.

Thanks be to God for the faithfulness of previous generations, and for all that God still has in store for us!

As we come to the end of the “Year of Mark”, where most of the Sunday gospel readings are from Mark, it’s a good time to revisit the whole of Mark. Here are some online resources which are well worth watching:

Actor David Suchet reads the entire Gospel according to Mark, at St Paul’s Cathedral in London:

https://www.stpauls.co.uk/marksgospel

The Creation Window was re-installed this week, following restoration, flattening and cleaning. The colours have come up beautifully and the newly added brass bar across each panel will help stabilise the windows into the future. We look forward to similar work on the remaining windows requiring attention.

Are you feeling the loss of a loved one, whether recently or not so recently? At tomorrow evening’s annual All Souls’ service, we remember all those whom we have loved and lost. It’s a reflective service with readings, prayers, music and silence, and anyone is welcome.

Great to see work under way on our long-awaited outdoor area at St Clement’s, which will provide child-safe space for our playgroup as well as social space on Sunday mornings. Watch this space!

Over the next few weeks our Sunday readings take us through key parts of Old Testament book of Job: an extended meditation on God, human suffering, justice and faith. In different styles, here are two great short videos which help us to understand what the book of Job is all about: