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Advent 2, 2006
SERMON - 10.15am, Emmanuel Church, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
Sunday 10th December 2006
Revd. Matthew Vernon
The Advent Carol Service was at St. John's Cathedral last Sunday evening.
It was wonderful.
The Service starts in darkness.
• Except the choir's candles at the back of the church as they sing beautiful music.
Then after a few minutes all the candles are lit –
• only beautiful candlelight, no bright electric lights.
Close you eyes for a moment and imagine:
• hundreds of candles in the darkness.
It's a powerful symbol of our Advent hope –
• the light of Christ coming into our dark world.
There is much light in the world.
There is also much darkness.
We are all too familiar with these dark matters.
On the level of society:
• war; terrorism of all kinds; disease.
On the level of individuals:
• greed, selfishness and dishonesty.
But let us focus on the light.
The light which shines in the darkness and is not overcome by the darkness.
Even in a pitch black cave, a single candle brings hope and dispels the gloom.
It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.
We are called to be agents of light.
Three examples of darkness and light:
• HIV/AIDS
• Starbucks and Fair Trade coffee
• Operation Santa Claus.
Last week, 1st December, was World AIDS Day.
No doubt you saw coverage in the media.
The statistics are very dark.
3 million people died due to AIDS in 2005.
Another 5 million people were infected with HIV,
• bringing the total number of people living with HIV to more than 40 million.
In Botswana, AIDS alone has reduced life expectancy by 31 years.
At the Cathedral our HIV Education Centre marked the World AIDS Day with prayers in the Cathedral.
The Cathedral bell was rung on the quarter hour.
The volunteers also distributed red ribbons at the Star Ferry.
The light is in other forms too.
Some poor countries with high infection rates have made significant progress.
Senegal and Uganda seem to have contained the crisis,
• and may even be reversing it,
• largely thanks to extensive education about prevention.
Brazil and Thailand have improved access to medicines.
The Bill Clinton Foundation is doing remarkable work to combat the spread of HIV.
It's good to focus on the light,
• to remember that Advent is a time of hope.
But notice that the light needs effort.
We need to light the candles in the darkness.
Starbucks has been in the news recently over Ethiopian Coffee.
Whilst Starbucks gives me much joy and I give them too many dollars,
• recently they have been on the side of darkness!
The Ethiopian Government is trying to trademark its most famous coffee bean names –
• Sidamo, Harar and Yirgacheffe.
The Ethiopian Government, with the help of the charity Oxfam, has claimed that Starbucks is trying to block trademarking,
• so denying Ethiopia earnings of US$88m a year.
Starbucks is of course denying this.
Oxfam says poor farmers would have benefited from the move
• but the US National Coffee Association says that's not true.
The Ethiopian Government and Oxfam argue that this is about redressing the unfairness of international trade.
The darkness is the plight of poor coffee farmers around the world who supply our addiction,
• but don't benefit from the huge profits the coffee companies make.
The light is the rise of fair trade and growing awareness of the issues.
In the US and the UK, fair trade coffee is very common in the High Street.
In the UK some towns and cities have earned a fair trade label because a certain number of shops and businesses stock or use Fairtrade products.
Hong Kong is some way behind,
• but the Cathedral Bookstore, Oxfam and others are lighting candles.
Once again, for the light to spread we need to act.
We are called to be agents of light.
Lastly, Operation Santa Claus.
Every year, I find this so encouraging.
Hong Kong has a reputation for money making, for capitalism and commercialism.
Yet, so many people get involved with raising money for Operation Santa Claus.
The charities that will benefit this year include:
• Hong Kong Alzheimer's Disease Association
• Crossroads
• AIDS Concern
• End Child Sexual Abuse Foundation
• Community Drug Advisory Council
Operation Santa Claus is secular, but it symbolizes that heart of Advent and Christmas:
• God's concern for the poor and needy.
Remember Zechariah's words when John the Baptist was born, according to Luke's Gospel?
"The tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."
Every day the SCMP gives an example of candle bearers making light in the darkness.
And to be fair to Starbucks they were featured yesterday as supporters of the campaign.
Cynics might say its good advertising.
True.
But cause related marketing is big business now and many charities benefit.
Light in the darkness.
All of this reminds of the children's Christian song.
"Jesus bids us shine with a pure clear light, shining like a candle burning in the light. In this world of darkness we must shine. You in your small corner and I in mine."
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