FOR a lot of people, Advent starts on December 1 when they take out their Advent calendar, open up the first door and have a look at the picture or message that lies behind it. Nowadays, you may even get a nice Fairtrade chocolate to go with it.

And nowhere gets into the Christmas spirit quite like York! There is a multitude of Christmas markets – the St Nicholas Fayre last week, the Made in Yorkshire Christmas market and the Farmers' Market, which are a great opportunity to buy local produce, and support Yorkshire farmers 

Here in the city of York, people are determined to show visitors the warmest of welcomes and York Minster is looking forward to welcoming thousands of people to our special Christmas services. As the Tourism Ambassador for the City, I hope that visitors and residents alike will enjoy the festive spirit of the city and take part in the many activities the city offers.

For the Church, the Advent season began on Sunday, so some of us have been celebrating already! I'm someone who loves Christmas. It's an exciting time.

I love the anticipation of what is going to come. Advent is a time of hope and excitement, as we look forward to celebrating the birth of a baby, Jesus Christ, who revealed the human face of God. "God so loved the world that he sent his Son" to be born as a baby and to live among us. That's what we are looking forward to during Advent. Love came down at Christmas. And that amazing gift demands a wholehearted response from us.

When I get up, my first words are: "Good morning God". I say my morning prayers and read the psalms – this helps me to prioritise my thoughts and start each day, with God at my side. Yesterday's psalm reading was about praise and giving thanks to our awesome God but the psalms also contain very difficult passages dealing with rejection, defeat, anger and grief. Contrary to what you might believe, they have a meaning for our everyday modern lives and remind us of God's presence even when we feel all is lost.

I continue to pray for Madeleine McCann and Claudia Lawrence, taken from their families. And like many others, I was watching and waiting anxiously for the news of the miners trapped in the Pike River mine in New Zealand. Last March, I was invited by Bishop Philip Richardson as part of a mission to reach community leaders, youth and church leaders in New Zealand and he drove me from New Plymouth in the North Island to Queenstown in the South. It's a small country with a nation now in mourning for those who have lost their lives and for the families left behind.

The psalms remind us that we should do well to remember that no matter how tough things get, God is there with us, guiding us and giving us strength for the journey. God gives us hope in new life in the present, and hope for the future, no matter where we live in the world.

I hope that your Advent preparations go well. If you have time to reflect on the big day that lies ahead, the birthday of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, then visit www.archbishopofyork.org for my online advent calendar. There will be a new message online every day from December 1 to December 24.

 Dr John Sentamu is the 97th Archbishop of York