Advent I; A reflection for Trinity by the Sea
Greetings Trinity by the Sea! Grace and peace to you on this, one of my very favorite Sundays of the year. It is a Sunday I would like to be with my church family, but I somehow let my retreat be scheduled the first week of Advent, and I am preaching this day at St. Mark's Gulfport, Mississippi. So thank you, once again, to our lay leadership. This may be a perfect way for us to start off a new year, with empowered lay people leading worship...
Today is the first day of Year C, when we begin Luke's Gospel, and begin this new season of Advent:
Advent. It comes around to us once again; around: it is round like the full moon we saw last week. Round is the right word for this season. Advent is unlike the frenzy of the secular new year we celebrate on Dec 31. That new year is more like a straight line pointing to what we always expect to be new and different, complete with magic glasses which must be expected to help us see into 2019. The secular new year is linear, we make new resolutions, we try to forget the things behind us. And we may even want to forget somethings then, but Advent is not about forgetting, it's about remembering.
Advent recognizes that we always return. We come around the sun, we come back around to the beginning of the story of Jesus, we return to make a journey around the Advent wreath marked by four candles. We return to Jeremiah, one of those stubborn prophets of old who remembers that God has made promises that have yet to be fulfilled. Jeremiah reminds us the day is coming! Remember that the root of Jesse will spring a new branch.
We return, through scripture and song, we come back to those ancient Psalms about putting trust in God; Psalm 25 bids us to remember that God does not exclude, but teaches sinners, and the lowly; all are included in the teaching and wisdom of God. That reality of God is echoed by St. Paul in his letter as he calls the church in Thessalonica to persevere as they await Christ's return.
Thessalonica has some similarities with Port Aransas. It is on the edge of a sea, it is a port town. It was also a major stronghold of Christianity when the church was first spreading. St. Paul writes back to what must have been a small community at the time, to encourage them to persevere, in spite of the challenges of keeping the church going, of holding on to faith in difficult times.
We know a thing or two about difficult times. We know it from the challenges life deals us. It's a good thing Jesus didn't wait for us to be good, perfect people to come into the world or we would still be waiting. The abiding love of God is not dependent on us to be perfect. God loves us just the way we are. With our shortcomings, with our divided politics, with road rage, and our over indulgence. God loves us because God loves us. We are his. Like rebellious children we can even try to scare God away, but God will still love us. God doesn't love us in theory; what we prepare for in Advent is the shock of Christmas. God doesn't love us from a far-off heaven, but puts on flesh, is born of Mary, and gets right down in the dirt with us.
What we do in this season of Advent is attempt to set aside the distractions from that reality. Or, as St. Luke puts it "be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap." There will always be opportunity to be distracted. There will always be reason not to be expectant of Christ's presence. There will be signs, confusion, roaring seas, and the powers shall be shaken...
And through it all, we are asked to remember to trust. Remain. Pray. Pay attention. What we await is eternal. Heaven and earth may pass away, but Christ's words will not pass away. Wait and watch. Know that God who was in the beginning will be through to the end. Set aside the distractions and be ready to rise to the life immortal. We have been on a quite a journey, and we've come back around to the beginning. Advent brings us back to remember. Amen.
Today is the first day of Year C, when we begin Luke's Gospel, and begin this new season of Advent:
Advent. It comes around to us once again; around: it is round like the full moon we saw last week. Round is the right word for this season. Advent is unlike the frenzy of the secular new year we celebrate on Dec 31. That new year is more like a straight line pointing to what we always expect to be new and different, complete with magic glasses which must be expected to help us see into 2019. The secular new year is linear, we make new resolutions, we try to forget the things behind us. And we may even want to forget somethings then, but Advent is not about forgetting, it's about remembering.
We return, through scripture and song, we come back to those ancient Psalms about putting trust in God; Psalm 25 bids us to remember that God does not exclude, but teaches sinners, and the lowly; all are included in the teaching and wisdom of God. That reality of God is echoed by St. Paul in his letter as he calls the church in Thessalonica to persevere as they await Christ's return.
Thessalonica has some similarities with Port Aransas. It is on the edge of a sea, it is a port town. It was also a major stronghold of Christianity when the church was first spreading. St. Paul writes back to what must have been a small community at the time, to encourage them to persevere, in spite of the challenges of keeping the church going, of holding on to faith in difficult times.
We know a thing or two about difficult times. We know it from the challenges life deals us. It's a good thing Jesus didn't wait for us to be good, perfect people to come into the world or we would still be waiting. The abiding love of God is not dependent on us to be perfect. God loves us just the way we are. With our shortcomings, with our divided politics, with road rage, and our over indulgence. God loves us because God loves us. We are his. Like rebellious children we can even try to scare God away, but God will still love us. God doesn't love us in theory; what we prepare for in Advent is the shock of Christmas. God doesn't love us from a far-off heaven, but puts on flesh, is born of Mary, and gets right down in the dirt with us.
What we do in this season of Advent is attempt to set aside the distractions from that reality. Or, as St. Luke puts it "be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap." There will always be opportunity to be distracted. There will always be reason not to be expectant of Christ's presence. There will be signs, confusion, roaring seas, and the powers shall be shaken...
And through it all, we are asked to remember to trust. Remain. Pray. Pay attention. What we await is eternal. Heaven and earth may pass away, but Christ's words will not pass away. Wait and watch. Know that God who was in the beginning will be through to the end. Set aside the distractions and be ready to rise to the life immortal. We have been on a quite a journey, and we've come back around to the beginning. Advent brings us back to remember. Amen.
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