O come, O come Emmanuel.
Amen.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. The Square
has been decorated since Halloween, shopping centers are jam-packed, and
Christmas music fills the air. But being proper Episcopalians, we all know that
we are in the middle of Advent. The word “advent” comes from a Latin word which
means “coming.” It seems though that the world has skipped ahead of the coming
and is already celebrating the arrival. Advent is a season of preparing
ourselves for the birth of Jesus. It is a season to slow down and reflect. These
four weeks leading up to Christmas are envisioned as a time to prepare to
receive Jesus into our hearts and homes. John the Baptist speaks of preparing
for Jesus by repenting- so we often focus on self-examination in Advent. I don’t
know about you all, but I’m too busy to be slowing down. There are year-end
financials that need attention, extra sermons to be written, and, of course,
that we’re doing all of those things at home to make sure that Ellie has fond
family memories of the season.
There is a real tension as a Christian in America when it
comes to celebrating Advent and Christmas. I can’t help but think that the 4th
century Bishop of Myra, Nicholas, would be a bit troubled by being remembered
as a fat man in a red suit who drives a sleigh of flying reindeer. Bishop
Nicholas is actually a fascinating person- he was one of the people who
attended the Council at Nicaea which created the Nicene Creed that we say each
week; he is the patron saint of sailors, brewers, children, and pawnbrokers;
and there are tales of him slapping heretics in the face. The transformation of
Nicholas is just one manifestation of how the message of Christmas has changed.
Estimates are that Americans spend $450 billion each year
on getting ready for Christmas. I’m all for stimulating the economy, but
sometimes I really struggle with the way we celebrate Christmas. The UN has
suggested that for just $30 billion dollars, global hunger could be eliminated.
And I just can’t help but think that would be a better way to celebrate Christmas
than buying more twinkling lights or gifts that we can’t really afford and don’t
really need. To be fair, if I sound like a Grinch, that’s probably because I am
one.
There really are two Christmases that we celebrate. We
have the secular Christmas which focuses on gift giving and parties- which, don’t
get me wrong, can be good things. Fellowship and giving gifts that come from
the heart are wonderful things. And there is also the Feast of the Incarnation,
when we celebrate that God Almighty has come among us. And that understanding
of Christmas is celebrated differently. In the words of the prophet Isaiah,
that Christmas is about “bringing good news to the oppressed, binding up the
brokenhearted, proclaiming liberty to the captives, and release to the
prisoners; proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor…, comforting all who mourn,
giving them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of
mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.” And that is hard
work. It’s much easier to decorate a tree and place a few orders on Amazon than
it is to transform the unjust structures of our world.
As I was writing this sermon at the coffee shop, an older
man asked a young child “are you ready for Santa?” Now, this man meant well, I’m
not chiding him for the question; that is a fairly normal question to hear this
time of year. But our culture needs to hit the reset button on Christmas and go
back to the drawing board. While I have no illusions that this is, or ever was,
a Christian nation; still, 70% of Americans identify themselves as Christian.
What I struggle to understand is how Advent became a season to get ready for
Santa instead of a season to get ready for the coming of Christ. Like I said, I
am a bit of a Grinch.
Speaking of Grinches, today’s Gospel reading is about
John the Baptist. He is the ultimate renegade, living out in the wilderness,
eating locusts and wearing camel hair tunic, calling people a “brood of vipers.”
If you’ve been attending our adult Sunday School class the past few weeks, you
know that only Matthew and Luke have a version of the nativity story in them.
Mark and John don’t record anything about the birth of Jesus. But each of the
four gospels talks about John the Baptist as preparing the way of the Lord.
There is no Christmas without John the Baptist. If Christmas is the season
about the Christ-child, then Advent is the season about Jesus’ cousin, John the
Baptist.
When John is depicted in art, he is almost ways pointing
to Jesus. And that is the way in which the gospeller John writes about him: “He
came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through
him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light… I
baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is
coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” John had
great humility, and said that he was not Elijah, nor was he the Messiah. Though
he was a very popular prophet who could have let his ego get the best of him,
he knew his purpose and his calling. Despite what your parents taught you about
it being rude to point at other people, that is exactly what John models for us
as the way to prepare ourselves in Advent- pointing at Jesus.
John the Baptist lived in a world of darkness. The Roman
Empire was oppressing the people of Israel, the religious leaders of Israel
were corrupt, and by the time the gospels were being written, Christianswere
being persecuted by Nero. And in that darkness, a flicker of light was seen in
Jesus. John knew that it was not his job to be that light, but it was to call
attention to that light. Let that task of pointing be part of how we prepare
this season of Advent.
Darkness can seem to overshadow the light today as well. This
week, we have had the horrific and unconscionable details of the CIA’s torture
report come out. While at the same time, racial tensions are high and protests continue
around our country as a result of the events in Ferguson and Staten Island. Poverty
haunts our cities. Many of us are likely experiencing holiday stress. The
average American still struggles to make ends meet. December is the darkest
month of the year, and depression is often most intense this time of year. There
seems to be darkness all around us.
But yet, our Advent task is to pay attention to the
light. As the hymn proclaims, “yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting
Light.” John the Baptist tells the crowds “there is one among you whom you do
not know.” In other words, there is a light shining through the darkness. And
so John’s ministry is pointing to that light. Our world desperately needs to
have those bright spots pointed out and amplified.
I want
to point to some of the light that I’ve seen recently at St. Luke’s. Through
you all, I have seen the light of Christ shine. Last Sunday, 16 students from
Catawba came to St. Luke’s to study for their exams, and they were welcomed
with wonderful hospitality by a group of parishioners who provided a home
cooked meal for them. The light of Christ was shining that night. Many of you
have commented that there was a tremendous sense of joy at the Annual Meeting
last Sunday, sensing that the light is shining brightly at St. Luke’s. I’ve
been spending time recently with four youth and three adults who are preparing
for Confirmation when Bishop Anne joins us next Sunday. In them, I see the
light of Christ shining. Family Crisis Council identified several families for
St. Luke’s to support this season, and every family had a parishioner pick up an
angel to support them. In that generosity, Christ shines. Our choir led a
wonderful service of Lessons and Carols last Sunday, and in their music each
week, we are privileged to get a glimpse of the heavenly chorus.
I know there is darkness out there, both in our world and
in each of our lives. But there is also light. If you can see that light, point
to it. Show others the light of Christ; show them how that holy light meets the
hopes and fears of all the years. As hard as it is to slow down this time of
year, take some time to find the light. And if you can’t find the light no
matter how hard you try, well, you’ve come to the right place. If the darkness
overwhelms you, I pray that through our worship and Eucharist, that we point
you to the light. And if you need some help seeing it, ask someone here to help
you see it.
Back to the trees, lights, and gifts. If they point to
Jesus, in the way that John the Baptist points to Jesus, then have at it. There
is no one correct way to celebrate Christmas that works for everyone. But there
is one correct purpose in celebrating Christmas- testifying to the light. One
of my favorite quotes from CS Lewis is- “I believe in God like I believe in the
Sun. Not because I see it, but because by its light, I see everything else.” And so
John the Baptist comes, pointing to that light which is to enlighten the world.
It is through that light that Isaiah’s vision of salvation will come to
fulfillment.
Christmas Eve is 10 days from today- still plenty of time
to find the light. Point to that light and share it with others this Advent.
How might you give gifts of compassion to the brokenhearted? Gifts of dialogue
to those whom we disagree with? Gifts of food and water to those who have none?
The gift of forgiveness to those who are carrying the burden of sin?
Today’s
Collect prayed “Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us”-
may we be stirred up by power of the coming Savior. O God, as the lights in our
Advent wreath grow as we come closer to the celebration of your coming to us,
may we also grow in awareness of your light amidst the darkness of the world. Give
us the grace and courage to point to the light of Christ, as your prophet John
did. And may all of our preparations and celebrations this season point to you,
spread your light, and prepare us to more fully receive Jesus into our hearts.
Amen.
