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,
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