December 19, 2018

Advent III – Rejoice

This past Sunday was Gaudete Sunday, so named because the opening antiphon of the Mass began, “Gaudete in Domino semper,” that is, “Rejoice in the Lord always.”

Advent, and the whole holiday season for that matter, can be difficult for people. There could be painful memories of family and/or friends who have died. Jobs could be scarce. Finances may be imperiled. Unexpected bills can suddenly appear. There are many reasons why this is a difficult time for so many people.

And yet, with all of those things going on, with the general busy-ness of the season as we prepare for Christmas and the coming of the Messiah, we are called to rejoice in the Lord. We are called to be joyful in the Lord.

This can seem to be problematic, though, because too often we have a tendency to equate rejoice and/or joy with being happy. I heard a sermon recently in which the preacher advocated that people “just get over it” as a way to work toward joy/happiness. But working to “just get over it” is simply a band-aid offered by some who are eager for others to get back to normal. The problem is that what's normal for one person may not be normal for another person.

So . . . back to joy and rejoicing. These two things are not about happiness. They are not about good feelings. It is something much deeper. I think the quote from Frederick Buechner sums it up best, “Your vocation in life is where your greatest joy meets the world's greatest need.” When these two things meet, the process of restoration begins – restoration of yourself as well as restoration of the world around you.

Another way to look at it is to answer the question: Where is God calling you?

When we gather to worship God in the beauty of holiness, there is joy. When we welcome people as they are, respecting who they are, there is joy. When we gather for Community Cafe to serve food to our guests, there is joy. When we see a person's potential and encourage them to pursue it, there is joy.

When God is present in what we do and how we do it, there is joy. No, we may not always be happy, but if we are aligned with God, there will be joy. If we are looking to always be happy, we will probably be unhappy. But if we are looking to be joyful and to rejoice, then we need to spend time searching for that place where we and God meet. It will be in that meeting where we find joy, it will be in that meeting that we will rejoice, and it will be in that meeting where we begin to see God's kingdom on earth, as it is in heaven.

Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, Rejoice!

Blessings,

December 12, 2018

Advent II – Peace

That's the word hanging from the Advent wreath this week.

It seems as if there is precious little peace in the world right now. Besides the usual wars, famines, natural disasters, and political turmoil that rage around us, there also seems to be the decidedly un-peaceful time of the Advent season as we make our preparations for the celebration of the Incarnation both at church and at home.

What is peace? Is it the absence of conflict, wars, and/or turmoil? Is it a place of quiet? Is it a place of equilibrium? Is it your bathtub?

Peace includes all of the above and more.

Sunday we heard from Baruch. In that reading he is looking forward to the restoration of Jerusalem and says that that city will receive the name, “Righteous Peace, Godly Glory.” He also prophesies that those who have been taken away will return, and mountains and hills made low and the valleys filled up. In this return and in this leveling out, the people will experience peace.

In Luke we heard John proclaiming a baptism of repentance as John prepares for the coming of the Lord. He announces that every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low. This is also a form of leveling out as the rough paths are made smooth and all flesh will see the salvation of God.

As I was thinking about this idea of peace and the leveling out, the idea of peace was more than an end to wars, famines, disasters, and turmoil of all kinds. Peace also has to do with how we experience God in our lives.

The Hebrew word Shalom, which is often translated as Peace, delves into this peaceful experience of God.

The root of Shalom is to be safe in mind, body, and/or estate. It gets at the idea of developing an inward sense of completeness and wholeness. Our peace, then, isn't dependent on outside forces (or the lack of them), but is completely dependent upon where God is in our lives – or maybe I should say, where we allow God to be in our lives.

Those mountains and hills that are to be brought low, and those valleys which are to be filled in, are more than making the road to Jerusalem smooth. They are more than the social-political-economic systems of which I preached about on Sunday. They also have to do with our inner turmoils.

As we meditate on the word Peace in this second week of Advent, there may be no better words to contemplate than those spoken at the end of the Rite I Communion service:

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessings,

December 5, 2018

Advent I – Hope

Advent has arrived, probably unnoticed by most of our society. While stores have been selling Christmas decorations for a month or two, and radio stations are beginning to slip Christmas music into their play lists, and cities are putting up holiday decorations and have had tree lighting ceremonies, the church calendar remains purple or blue and declares that we are in the season of Advent.

We are in the season of the already and not yet. It is the season of hopeful expectation. It is the season of learning to slow down in the midst of all the noise and activity. We prepare for the coming of Christ which has already happened in ancient Bethlehem. We prepare and hope for the future coming of Christ that has been promised. We try to find space to breathe when this time of year often takes our breath away.

Each Sunday of Advent has a theme attached to it which is usually attributed to one of the four virtues Jesus brings. When you are at church you can see a banner hanging from the Advent wreath naming the theme of the day; Advent I is Hope.

If you were at church this past Sunday you will recall that the gospel passage came from the apocalyptic portion of Luke (Chapter 21:5-38 if you're following along at home). “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations . . . When you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near . . . Be alert at all times . . .”

We only heard a portion of Chapter 21 on Sunday, but that portion, and all of the chapter, make it seem as if the end days are upon us. And in reading this chapter, we may hope to be removed from the trials and tribulations that are to come. We may hope to escape the devastating nature of those last days. We may hope that Jesus comes soon to clean up this mess. But that is less about hope and more of an escapist fantasy.

Are these the end times? As I've said more than once, it's always the end times for someone.

In the end times we hold to hope: hope for a better world; hope for things to come; hope for the kingdom of God to be revealed and fulfilled.

The kingdom of God has come near. This is not the time to hope for an escape or for our miraculous removal. Rather, this is the time to “stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

In these end times of the already and not yet, remember that we have a role to play in the coming kingdom – that role is to continue in the fellowship, to persevere in resisting evil, to proclaim the Good News, to love our neighbors as ourselves, to strive for justice, to respect the dignity of every human being.

In other words, that role is to help instill hope.

Blessings,