O come, O come Emmanuel. Amen.
The
liturgical season of Advent and the secular season of “Holiday” are quite
different, but they have at least one thing in common: preparation. Both
seasons focus on preparation. Advent calls us to prepare our hearts and lives
for Christ to be born anew. “Holiday” calls us to prepare by baking cookies,
putting up decorations, and buying gifts. To be clear, I have nothing against
Bing Crosby, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” or wrapping paper.
Advent, of course, is
about preparing for a party which begins on Christmas. The “Holidays,” which
began as far back as Halloween, are about preparing for a party which ends on
Christmas. And therein lies the difference between these two seasons, one
liturgical and one secular. Advent is about making room, while “Holiday” is about
getting done. As it was some 2,000 years ago, it’s helpful to think of this in
terms of a baby. When you’re expecting a baby, there is of course some
preparing to do. But the real adventure doesn’t start until you head to the
hospital. Advent, in that way, is like pregnancy. “Holiday” is more like
throwing a baby-shower; once the event is over, at least for the party planner,
the job is done. Again, I’m not against baby showers and I’m not against the
celebration of a secular version of Christmas called “Holiday,” but here inside
the Church, we know that what is coming is a baby, not just a party, so our
preparing takes on a different level of importance because when that baby
comes, our life is going to change.
Through the four weeks of
Advent, the sermons are all going to focus on this theme of preparation. We’ll
start today with the question of “how do we prepare?”. Next Sunday we’ll
consider “What are we preparing for?”. The third Sunday of Advent will consider
the challenges to being prepared. And we’ll close Advent by transitioning from preparation
to action. Given today’s readings, the question is “How do we prepare?”.
Every first Sunday of
Advent begins with an unexpected tone. We start not with prophecies of the
Messiah’s birth or stories of the angel announcing the birth to Mary or Joseph,
but with apocalyptic visions from Jesus. In The Episcopal Church, you don’t
often find doomsday preaching or theology. The “rapture” doesn’t factor much
into our worldview. But we cannot ignore the words of Jesus.
As is always the case with the Bible, or life in general, context matters. Scholars generally agree that the
Gospel according to Matthew was written sometime after the year 70AD, which is
a very significant year because that is the year that Rome sacked Jerusalem and
the Temple was destroyed. Matthew writes sometime, perhaps 5 to 10 years, after
this event. Matthew takes stories older than that, but he can’t help that his
writing is influenced by this cataclysmic event in Jewish history. Just like
Fort Sumter, Pearl Harbor, the assassination of JFK, and 9/11, certain events
become bigger than history and change our worldview. The destruction of the
Temple was one of those events.
For Matthew, and those
around him, it did seem like the end of the world. The Temple was the grandest
building imaginable. It seemed as permanent as the mountains, because not only
was it made of massive stones, but because it was seen as the earthly home of
God. Surely, the Creator of Heaven and Earth wouldn’t allow the earthly Temple
to be destroyed. But it all came crashing down as Rome marched through the
city. And this was considered to be an apocalyptic event. The word “apocalypse”
means “revealing.” Apocalypse has nothing to do with the end of the world, but
rather it means that we see something more deeply and fully. In that sense, the
election was an apocalypse – it showed us something that was hidden prior to
November 8. It was the same for Matthew – his worldview crumbled along with the
Temple. I’ve had many conversations with many of you since the election about
your wrestling with the results of the election; not so much about who won, but
how he won and what has been condoned by the election. It is extremely
difficult when your worldview is destroyed. And so perhaps more than normal,
Jesus’ words about apocalypses as we start Advent are helpful to us.
If I were to tell you
that on Tuesday night, someone is going to break into your house at precisely
2:37am, you’d appreciate that information. Like Kevin in “Home Alone,” you’d be
ready for them. But if I told you that sometime in the next 15 years, someone
is going to break into your home, you might not appreciate that information as
much. In a sense, that information is less than helpful, as it’s going to make
you paranoid and always on edge. You’ll likely have many sleepless nights and
wish I would have never told you that. Jesus is not out to scare us by telling
us “But about that day and hour no one knows.” Jesus is helpful, not alarming.
So how do we prepare, not out of fear, but out of faith?
Often, we assume that the
end is bad. Whether it’s “Left Behind” or “Armageddon,” our imaginations and
movies tend to portray the end as something to fear. Throughout Scripture, the
message is “do not be afraid.” If Jesus doesn’t think that the coming of the
Son of Man is a bad thing, then nor should we. Instead, it’s actually a rather
comforting message that Jesus offers, if we can allow ourselves to hear it that
way. Jesus is saying “Rome may have taken out the Temple, but Rome doesn’t get
the last word.” It’s what he said in his life and death: they might kill me,
but that won’t stop the Resurrection. Though some make speak hate, God will get
the last word. Again, the metaphor of pregnancy is helpful. Sure, you should
have a bit of healthy stress and anxiety as a baby is coming into your life,
but it is ultimately an event of great joy. So as we prepare for Christ to
come, remember that it is a good thing, not something to be dreaded.
It has been said that as
the Church prepares in Advent, we prepare for Christ's coming in history,
mystery, and majesty. By receiving Christ in history, we are reminded that
there was a specific time in which Jesus was born. So we have to pay attention
to that context and we cannot lose sight of the fact that we’re speaking of a
historical event. Though we may live in the Age of the Spirit today, the world
was fundamentally changed when God came to it. History reminds us that God will
not only act in the future, but has acted in the past and is present with us
now. So in thinking about how we prepare, again, consider pregnancy. Of course,
there is preparation for the coming of a child, but that child is already a
part of the world in the mother’s womb. We prepare for the coming of Christ,
not without God in our lives, but with God at the very heart of them.
Next, Christ comes in
mystery. Here, you might think of the Sacraments of the Church, namely when
Jesus says that wherever two or three are gathered, that he is with us. So as
we prepare for his final coming, we prepare by getting to know him. There are
many ways for us to prepare for Christ. One is to, as St. Paul writes in
Romans, put on the armor of light. And especially given all that is going on in
our country, we need more people wearing light instead of darkness. There are
too many immigrants worried about being deported, too many couples worried that
their marriages will be made invalid, too many minorities worried about being
persecuted. We don’t need more darkness, we need more light-bearers. When
Christ comes, it will be in brilliant and purging light. So prepare for his
coming by shining some of that light now. Be a friend to someone you ordinarily
wouldn’t be a friend to. This time of year can be particularly difficult for
people who struggle with depression or have experienced the loss of a loved
one, so be a light in their life. In serving others, we serve Christ himself. As
Isaiah writes, “Let us walk in the light of the Lord.”
We might also prepare for
the coming of Christ by making a jingling noise, not with bells, but as Isaiah
suggests, with the sound of sledgehammers beating our swords into pruning hooks.
As we prepare, we seek peace. We can encourage our leaders to work for peace
around the world, we can stand up against violence, perhaps especially the
violence happening at Standing Rock, and we can seek peace in our own lives.
There’s a chance that you’re going to see someone at a family gathering in a
few weeks who you’re not particularly looking forward to seeing. Go ahead and
make peace with them now. When Christ comes, it will be in peace, but we don’t
have to wait to know the peace that he offers.
And as I mentioned,
Christ is known when two or three are gathered. Advent is the perfect time to
avail yourself of an often forgotten, but vitally important, ministry at St.
Luke’s – the Daily Office. Each weekday, Morning Prayer is offered at 8am and Evening
Prayer at 5:30pm in the Chapel. When two or three gather in prayer, Christ is
there. When the Word is proclaimed, Christ is there. When the bread is broken,
Christ is there. We are in the midst of both Advent and the “Holiday” season.
The retailers aren’t going to let you forget that you need to buy things, but
in the craziness of this season, come take part in the Daily Office to remember
what Advent is all about.
In addition to history
and mystery, the other way in which Christ comes is in majesty. By knowing how
the story ends, it influences the way we live now. If you are watching a
sporting event and your team is losing, you might get rather nervous, you might
even want to give up. But if I told you that by the end of the game, your team
will win, well, you’d see minor setbacks differently. This is what Jesus
reminds us of in his apocalyptic vision – that God wins. That doesn’t eliminate
death, disease, loneliness, hatred, fear, hunger, or evil, but it does give us
consolation in knowing that what will ultimately endure is love, grace, and
mercy.
By keeping majesty as a
part of our preparation, we remember that Christ comes as king. Of course, you
never receive the king, but the king receives you. Advent isn’t so much about
getting things ready to receive Christ, but rather it’s about preparing
ourselves to be received by Christ. Think of it in terms of getting ready for a
date more than getting ready to attend a dinner party. You are the guest, not
the host.
And so we do our best to
be ready for Christ, knowing that he will come in mercy. The English priest and
poet George Herbert has a wonderful poem called “Love Bade Me Welcome.” The
poem begins with “Love made me welcome. Yet my soul drew back guilty of dust
and sin.” But as the poem progresses, the author comes to realize that Love
still welcomes him. The poem ends with Love saying “you must sit down and taste
my meat.” Part of preparing ourselves for Christ’s coming is knowing that he
will receive us fully and that we are forgiven, we are worthy, we are loved.
The king will come in majesty to bring us to his glorious kingdom, so fear not.
Advent proclaims that
Christ is coming and today’s readings invite us to prepare with joy for it.
Sometimes there are apocalyptic events which reveal things which may discourage
and frighten us; but fear not, because God’s final apocalypse will reveal
Christ’s coming in history, mystery, and majesty. Walk in the light of the Lord, spend time in worship, and know
that you are loved – this is how we prepare for Christ’s coming.
