IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE ADVENT
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Oh whither the weather?! The past few months have been meteorologically topsy-turvy to say the least. We went from summer to false fall, then our second summer, actual fall, early frost, summer part three, and last week's “set the pipes to drip” – all before Thanksgiving Day!
While the meteorological seasons may vary, the liturgical seasons anchor us in the story of God's love redeeming the world, of God's activity among God's children to make things right through justice and compassion. As Christians, we chiefly understand this divine activity through the person of Jesus Christ and his life, death, and resurrection – we are Easter people, after all! However, Easter is the lens through which we look at the story of God's activity in the world, and the first chapter of that story begins with the season of Advent.
Advent is a time of “beginnings” as we first dip our toes into the waters of justice and start to wade deeper and deeper into God's Shalom. It's a time to remind ourselves of who God is, what God does – what God always has been doing and continues to do even now – and to trust in the promise that God will always be with us to turn things right-side up, especially in these days when everything seems so upside down, inside out, and tossed about with little rhyme or reason.
As our world continues to struggle forward in search of a new normal, we can find signs of hope all around us, if we have eyes for seeing. We can surely encounter the work of peacemakers among us, if we have ears for hearing their herald cries. We can sense the joy and power uplifting those who choose to rejoice in goodness, even when that goodness has not yet come in full. We can feel the love of those who would seek a better world and boldly work to transform it. Signs of God's activity are all around us, and through faith, we too may come to realize that God comes to us, that God's reign of love is come indeed.
As we take the next four weeks to prepare our hearts for the coming of Emmanuel, let us each and all invest ourselves in this most important season of Advent and get our Christian Year off to a strong start as a church. Through worship, weekly evening prayer, opportunities for outreach and service, and moments of music- and merry-making, may the God of Advent stir our embers of faith and ignite our discipleship anew, that we too can find ourselves amidst God's abiding presence and being made part of God's life-giving purpose. No matter the seasons or circumstances of the world around us, let us trust in God's unfailing love and discover the opportunity for new beginnings Advent brings. After all, for those who would receive the gift of Christmas, it's beginning to look a lot like Advent everywhere we go!
Soli Deo Gloria,
Rev. Michael