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Good morning Advent officially begins tomorrow. It’s my favourite season in the Christian calendar. Cathedrals and churches are adorned in purple with Advent wreaths prominently on display. Five candles will be lit over the next four Sundays culminating in the more prominent candle on Christmas Eve. Together they provide a flickering crescendo of hope in an increasingly dark world. In a seminar this week with some soon-to-be-ordained students, we reflected on how me might bridge an obvious gap between Christianity and mainstream culture. We agreed that Advent has a role to play in helping people understand the Christian meaning of Christmas. Against a backdrop of darkness in the world, perhaps there has never been a more relevant time for the Christmas message of love to be heard? The American scholar and preacher Timothy Keller, who died earlier this year, wrote candidly about the challenge for Christians in communicating the real meaning of Christmas.[1] After four decades of preaching at Christmastime, he realised that people always tended to zone out, concentrating instead on the secular bits of the season. The Christian message of Christmas, he believed, is that “on those living in a world of deep darkness a light has dawned”. There is lots to look forward to. Preparedness is everything. Over the next few weeks, in many Advent services, Christians will be given that same advice. Stay alert. Be on your guard. Be prepared. Something momentous is about to happen. Advent bible readings focus very much on these themes as well as the life-changing transforming light that is coming into the world. Several times Jesus warns his disciples not to hide the light which has been revealed to them. The glory of God has been glimpsed. It should not be hidden from sight. There was quite a bit of excitement this week when Spotify told their subscribers what they’d most listened to in 2023. I wasn’t at all surprised to learn that nearly all my top tracks were well-known hymns sung by a variety of Cathedral choirs. Amongst them, perhaps, the greatest of all the Advent hymns – O Come O Come Emmanuel which urges God to” disperse the gloomy clouds of night – and death’s dark shadows put to flight.” Each year Christians are urged to use Advent well. It is a fresh challenge to keep alert. To look to the light. To be prepared and ready to celebrate when, on Christmas Eve, that final Christmas candle of joy and hope will finally be lit.