Most of us probably have had the experience of absent-mindedly getting into our car, and arriving at a destination with no recollection of the journey.

That is until you have a near miss and then you notice everything to the point of paranoia.

Some things can become second nature to us, that we become inoculated from reality.  We travel on auto-pilot.  Advent is meant to be like some great red light in your face.  You stand on the brake and take notice.

In the midst of all the hustle and bustle of Christmas time, with the Christmas shopping, with the Christmas decorating, the Christmas schedules, we often travel through the season of Advent without paying much attention to Him we are preparing to receive.

Why are we getting ready to throw this party on the 25th December?  Why are we doing all this stuff? The birth of Jesus Christ.  Nothing more, nothing less.  With only less than two weeks to go, there’s still time.  Maybe not for all the external things, but for what really counts – people and the person of Christ.

Time enough as well to answer the question asked of John the Baptist.  Who are you? Why are you here?

And what are you going to do?

 Fr Andrew