The service emphasises the unity of the living and the dead, one body in Christ, celebrated in the breaking of bread. Advent is a time of expectation and preparation, it expresses our yearning for the coming of Christ to be born in us afresh and for ever. It also has a penitential flavour, we must be ready in soul and spirit at all times to stand before the throne of God. These both add weight to the penitential demands of Advent. In simplicity our frailty is unveiled and our complex lives laid bare.
Advent is a time to examine our desire and our liberty to let go.
For in this season we prepare to greet our Saviour who left his throne to be born in a manger and on a cross relinquished his life for the world.