26 October 2017
How good are you at watching and waiting?
- Take part in the 2014 Advent Offering
In a 'want it all, wantit now' culture, the art of watching and waiting can get lost inthe melee of consumerism and instant gratification. Yet Advent canalso bring us closer to God, and to the effects of God's justiceand love in the world today.
Sometimes watching and waiting are forced upon us by others.Raheela and her husband Irfan know what that means. They fledpersecution in Pakistan with their family and were granted asylumin the UK in May 2006. They were warmly welcomed by the MethodistChurch and now work in Wales with asylum seekers and refugees ofdifferent faiths, in a project supported by the Mission in BritainFund. Their story features in thefree worship resources for this year's AdventOffering.
Despite being forced to watch and wait, they found Godand God's people with them, supporting them. That experience ledthem to give themselves in the service of others, accompanyingpeople as they too watch and wait. The Advent Offering is a chancefor Christians to worship God and reflect on the transformationalwork of the Fund in communities across Britain.
"During Advent, Christians celebrate a distinct kind of waiting,when we look fear, desperation and human need in the eye, but inthe sure hope that God is coming in justice and love," said theRevd Ken Howcroft, President of the Methodist Conference. "But, ifwe're honest, Advent can too easily become a time of franticrushing around, getting ready forChristmas."
"We can get so caught up in the busyness that we forget about theplight of those around us who need help and support," added GillDascombe, Vice-President of the Conference. "This year's AdventOffering is great opportunity to make our watching and waiting moremeaningful and a timely reminder that Christ's love and our cashcan combine to transform human lives."
The free downloadableresources for this year's AdventOffering are available in English and Welsh andinclude:
Sometimes watching and waiting are forced upon us by others.Raheela and her husband Irfan know what that means. They fledpersecution in Pakistan with their family and were granted asylumin the UK in May 2006. They were warmly welcomed by the MethodistChurch and now work in Wales with asylum seekers and refugees ofdifferent faiths, in a project supported by the Mission in BritainFund. Their story features in thefree worship resources for this year's AdventOffering.
Despite being forced to watch and wait, they found Godand God's people with them, supporting them. That experience ledthem to give themselves in the service of others, accompanyingpeople as they too watch and wait. The Advent Offering is a chancefor Christians to worship God and reflect on the transformationalwork of the Fund in communities across Britain.
"During Advent, Christians celebrate a distinct kind of waiting,when we look fear, desperation and human need in the eye, but inthe sure hope that God is coming in justice and love," said theRevd Ken Howcroft, President of the Methodist Conference. "But, ifwe're honest, Advent can too easily become a time of franticrushing around, getting ready forChristmas."
"We can get so caught up in the busyness that we forget about theplight of those around us who need help and support," added GillDascombe, Vice-President of the Conference. "This year's AdventOffering is great opportunity to make our watching and waiting moremeaningful and a timely reminder that Christ's love and our cashcan combine to transform human lives."
The free downloadableresources for this year's AdventOffering are available in English and Welsh andinclude:
- Leader's notes
- Advert Offering Service
- Advent Candle liturgies
People can also orderthe following resources directly from Methodist Publishing onlineat www.methodistpublishing.org.uk or by calling 0845 017 8220 (a £2.50 postagecharge applies):
- Advent Offering poster
- Advent Offering leaflets
- Advent Offering gift envelopes(NEW)
- 'Thank you' bookmarks
Notes
- Ken and Gill are available forinterview.
- Watch a video about the work of the Mission in BritainFund