Our readings today come from the Prophet Isaiah.
In the 9th chapter, the 2nd verse, Isaiah proclaims this: The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. And in the 6th verse, Isaiah tells us of this light:
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. And, finally, in the 40th chapter, verses 4 and 5, Isaiah sings God’s promise: Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
I should just tell you up front that I love Christmas—it’s my favorite time of the year, my favorite music and my favorite time to be in church. Memories are good (even when they weren’t) and something happens to my heart—it feels lighter, simpler, more at peace. And so, I love Christmas—I love decorating, though not as much as Terri loves her santa and snowman on motorcycles inflatables which will soon shock our quiet village of Springdale. I even get into cooking and baking—truly amazing since that is not usually high on my list. And I love sitting in the quiet each night simply looking at the Christmas tree. That is when I quiet my heart and drink in all that 58 years of Christmases has taught me. But alas, it is not Christmas, not quite yet. It is Advent—that time when we prepare our hearts for that delicious peace that falls over much, thought definitely not all, of the world somewhere in the midst of Silent Night!
Many of us did not grow up with Advent Wreaths, or waiting until Christmas Eve to sing Christmas carols. Advent feels like a strange, foreign land that somehow separates us from the joyful time that lies ahead. I didn’t think much myself about Advent , being Southern Baptist and all, until I my journey took me to my Episcopalian decade. And there I discovered the mystical, almost magical aspects of Advent that enriched my Christmastime spiritual journey.
Advent will be different here in Open Circle. For those of you who have been here before, you know that my dream is to continue to develop a community and a worship environment where all can be in relationship to God and find “home” with each other. Advent continues that dream as we build our own traditions, some similar to others you have known, and some a wonderful combination of the many kinds of celebrations and memories we bring to this place. And so, I invite you, most of all, to relax and allow yourself to find newness in old traditions and comfort in new.
Our services for Advent and the Christmas season will focus on Hope—the hope that is in the Light of Jesus’ birth. And so, today, we look at the hope that was prophesied by God’s prophet Isaiah. It’s one of the most famous prophesies—referred to in the New Testament and put to music by composers in every century. “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting God, Prince of Peace. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” This, then is the light for which we wait.
At least one question remains: why did God think that we, those people walking in darkness, needed time to prepare for the birth of a child? I believe that a creative understanding of the Advent Wreath or Candles gives us a good understanding of the purpose of the Wait. If you google Advent wreath, you will get multiple interpretations…I like them all and refuse to suggest that one is better than the next. What we know, is that is we light an additional candle each week, the light will grow—with the passing of time, one light leads to two which leads to three and then four. The exact meaning assigned to each candle must not let us miss the more significant point: It is the LIGHT that increases. I, for one, take great comfort in the knowledge that I will begin to prepare my heart this week, and next week will become more prepared, until finally, God has me where I need to be—fully open and waiting for the joy that comes in the incarnation of the source of Light, God with us, Emmanuel.
When I first started observing Advent along with other aspects of the Christian liturgical year, a few things bothered my somewhat simple mind. If we were now waiting for Jesus, where did He go in between Thanksgiving and Christmas? You laugh, but to my then fairly linear thinking about my Christian journey, it just didn’t make much sense. And much like the light gradually dawning on God’s people, it eventually made sense to me and I began to see Advent as a time to prepare my heart to grow deeper, to let God further in; and to celebrate the growth of the knowledge of God, my deeper experience of God’s grace, and the ever-increasing inkling that I had only begun to learn of the depth and breadth of God’s plan for me. And, so to take a time each year to deliberately plan for the in-breaking of God into my life and my world suddenly made sense. It was about that same time, you will not be surprised to hear, that Christmas itself took on this wonderful meaning and joy for me as well.
One of my favorite Christmas stories is not specifically Christian at all. It is, however, profoundly, spiritual. How the Grinch Stole Christmas gives us a monsterly Grinch who sneaks into the town of Whoville and decides to steal Christmas—and so into each house he slinks and takes everything that has anything to do with Christmas, toys, food, gifts, everything. And yet, on Christmas morning, what does he hear—singing…he hears singing…and he doesn’t like it one bit. And finally, Dr. Suess lets the light dawn; "And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more!"
You see, the spirit of the Whos took the Grinch by surprise. And it is that same spirit of hope which takes us by surprise each year as we turn our thoughts to the meaning of Christmas that goes beyond what we piously call the “real meaning” of Christmas. It takes us by surprise because it defies our rational understanding—we don’t get it, unless we want to. And here, my friends, is Advent—Advent for me and, perhaps, Advent for you. Here is Advent where we question our hearts, where we find the “want to”.
And so, it is true that the so-called meaning of Advent is to focus on the coming of our Lord—to purposefully express our anticipation that a new light will dawn in our hearts, our minds, our priorities and our world. There is an old Catholic family Advent prayer that, with a couple of modifications, says it well for us today: “God in heaven,... increase our longing for Christ our Savior and give us the strength to grow in love, that the dawn of His coming may find us rejoicing in His presence and welcoming the light of His truth.”
You see, I have come to believe that if we do not make a decision to do “Advent”, whatever that looks like, to deliberately and purposefully put aside time to prepare for the coming of Christ again this year into our world, we may miss the dawn of His coming and we may be too busy celebrating Christmas to welcome the light of His truth…that God’s surprise of sending the Light of the World in the form of a baby will pass us by.
And so together we pray a version of an Advent Prayer from the late Fr. Henri Nouwen — so appropriate for the beginning of Advent and this season which can be so frantic. May the Lord indeed help us quiet our hearts and listen for God’s voice each day. May we diligently seek to know God’s presence, rather than allowing our anxious thoughts to distract us and may He tune our ears to hear His counsel. Lord Jesus, Ruler of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas. We who have so much to do seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day. We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us. We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom. We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence. We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light. To you we say, “Come Lord Jesus!” Amen and Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment