Why
did
the
Church
choose
it
for
Advent?
I
don’t
know;
but
it
might
be
something
to
do
with
the
approach
of
royalty.
The
Messiah
revealed
himself
in
Bethlehem
–
so
we
use
purple
in
Advent.
And
he
revealed
himself
even
more
in
his
death
and
resurrection
–
so
we
use
it
in
Lent.
Whatever
the
reason
purple
is
a
combination
of
red
and
blue.
Red
stands
for
violence.
Blue
for
peace.
Our
life
is
actually
a
combination
of
the
two.
We
long
for
peace
but
Jesus
said,
‘I
do
not
come
to
bring
peace
but
the
sword’.
Peace
can
only
be
achieved
through
violence
–
not
to
others
–
but
to
ourselves.
‘Unless
you
overcome
yourself,
you
cannot
be
my
disciple’.
What
is
different
between
this
Advent
and
last
Advent?
Is
it
all
vanity,
as
the
writer,
Qoheleth
says;
‘What
was
will
be
again
…
there
is
nothing
new
under
the
sun.’
That
was
a
bleak
moment
in
the
Old
Testament.
The
underlying
message
of
both
the
Old
and
New
Testament
is
that
we
are
involved
in
a
process
towards
a
goal.
Paul
appeals
to
the
Thessalonians,
to
make
more
and
more
progress
in
reaching
it.
The
goal
of
all
our
efforts
is
to
bring
justice
and
peace
to
people
everywhere.
(Alice
Walker
wrote
a
novel,
The
Colour
Purple,
about
the
sufferings
of
African-Americans
in
the
early
1900s
in
Georgia,
USA).
The
struggle
for
justice
is
the
plan
of
God
from
the
time
of
Abraham
and
it
has
to
be
achieved
by
human
sweat
because
God
has
given
us
freedom
and
it
can
be
hard
to
work
to
use
our
human
freedom
to
achieve
his
divine
aim.
Thy
kingdom
come!
But
God
cannot
take
short-cuts;
that
would
be
to
disrespect
our
freedom.
But
we,
humans,
put
up
huge
resistance
and
that
is
why
the
Church
gives
us
these
periods
–
Advent
and
Lent
–
to
change,
to
overcome
ourselves
and
let
God
in,
so
as
to
reach
the
goal.
‘Watch
yourselves
or
your
hearts
will
be
coarsened
…
and
the
day
will
spring
on
you
like
a
trap,’
warns
our
gospel.
There
is
a
homely
image
in
Shona
about
strength
oozing
back
into
a
tired
person
like
milk
intro
a
cow’s
udder.
Perhaps
that
is
what
Advent
is
–
a
time
when
we
are
renewed
by
the
promise
and
joy
of
Christmas
which
comes
to
us
once
more.
We
are
renewed
after
the
tiredness
of
the
passing
year
and,
like
footballers,
enjoy
the
interval
before
the
second
half.
1
December
2024
Advent
1
C
Jer
33:14-16
1
Th
3:12-4:2
Lk
21:25…36
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