23 December. This 'Wave of Hope' short reflection for Advent comes from Archbishop John Wilson, Archbishop of Southwark.
This Wave of Hope reflection for Advent comes from Archbishop John Wilson, Archbishop of Southwark.
Archbishop John was particularly inspired by a primary school Advent carol service in St George’s Cathedral, with over 1,000 pupils celebrating Christ’s story in song, word and drama.
“Let’s recapture this Christmas, the joy of what it is to come with wonder and awe before the Nativity scene of the Lord Jesus, and not just welcome him into that scene, but most importantly, with great hope, to welcome him into our hearts.”
Wave of Hope offers 25 short multimedia reflections for the season – one a day – as our contributors share a moment in 2025 that has led them to a place of hope.
You can also listen and subscribe to Wave of Hope as an audio podcast series.
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Feed: cbcew.org.uk/feed/podcast/wave-of-hope/
Dear friends, I want to share with you a moment of hope that I experienced recently.
In our cathedral, St. George’s Cathedral in Southwark, we had a primary school Advent carol service, and over a thousand primary school children filled our cathedral. And in song, word and drama, we retold the beautiful story of the Nativity. And what gave me enormous hope was the great joy and expectation on the faces of those young people. It reminds us that as we get older, sometimes we become a bit more jaded and a bit more challenged.
Let’s recapture this Christmas, the joy of what it is to come with wonder and awe before the Nativity scene of the Lord Jesus, and not just welcome him into that scene, but most importantly, with great hope to welcome him into our hearts.
Fr Issa Thaljieh is a Greek Orthodox priest from the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem.
Nikki Dhillon Keane is a therapist, trainer, author, activist and founder of 'Safe in Faith'.
Bishop Curry is the Lead Bishop for the Holy Land for the Bishops' Conference.
