Pilgrim Uniting Church, Adelaide SA SUN 29-NOV-2020 - 11.00 AM Sermon Rev Dr Greg Elsdon Advent 1 – According to Mark's gospel, Jesus spent some time up on the Mount of Olives during the week leading to his arrest, telling his disciples about the terrible events that would take place in the last days ahead of his return in glory. It would be a time of darkness – no sun, no moon, no stars. In the liturgical calendar we have come to the season of Advent, a time traditionally set aside for confession and repentance. Confession is an honest admission of what we really are and where we are on life's journey; and repentance is looking around for a more helpful path than the one we have been following. When we welcome the 'here' of our human existence, including our suffering and struggles, we are most likely to experience the nearness and presence of God. We need to look around and say "hello" to what we actually are, not to what we would prefer to be. "Woke" is a recently invented word, an adjective to describe awareness of the important, active issues of life; and the opposite of woke is denial. We need to guard against numbness, denial and despair, and recognise the fear of admitting to fear. Don't stand guard over topics you don't want mentioned. Things worth waiting for often happen in the dark; and we are called to keep awake, always aware of the dawning of a new day. Note: Dr Elsdon used the same sermon topic for the 9.30 AM church service. Mark 13: 24-37 Playing Time   –   21:25