November 29, 2009
First Sunday of Advent (Year C)
Baptism of Finnian Andrew Hollywood
Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:1-9; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13;
Luke 21:25-36
I could say “Happy New Year” since this Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent, is the beginning of our Christian year. Advent is a strange time. It is in a sense “between times.” Each year during these four weeks we prepare for the coming of the baby Jesus. That’s what it means, “Coming!” We are waiting, preparing for that which is to come. And liturgically we put ourselves into a time of anticipation, not knowing what is happening or is to happen, and yet, in reality, knowing only too well.
As I said, I could say, Happy New Year,” and maybe at the end of my sermon I will; but these readings which we have just heard seem to be anything but happy or uplifting. And I wonder how the child we will be baptizing at the next service (we are about to baptize) would react to them if he could understand them. And yet, if we stop, and listen, and maybe read them again, and even a third time, I think we might be surprised at what we hear. We don’t always need commentaries or learn-ed exegesis; sometimes it’s best just to close the eyes and listen, listen.
But first, I’m going to take a few moments to talk specifically to some of our younger members about the meaning, the history of our Advent decorations. Our liturgical color, i.e. our Altar color, has changed from the green of the many months of Pentecost – actually you may have noticed last week, the last Sunday of Pentecost, called Christ the King Sunday, our Altar hangings were white. But now for Advent they are purple or violet (many thanks to our Altar Guild and others who work so tirelessly behind the scenes to decorate our worship space.) That color stands for preparation, making ready.
Another symbol of Advent you must have noticed, is the wreath with its four candles. The actual beginnings of this tradition are uncertain, but it is definitely pre-Christian, possibly Germanic or Scandinavian. During the winter, wheels were decorated with candles, and prayers offered to the gods to turn the “wheel of earth” back to the light, and the warmth! Christians easily adapted this custom as they prepared for the birth of Jesus, the Light of the World. For us the wheel became a circle of greens, no beginning, no end, and symbolizes the eternity of God. And why four candles, three purple, violet, even blue, and one rose? Four Sundays, yes, but one tradition suggests that they represent 1000 years apiece, totalling 4000 years, what people once thought was the time from creation to the birth of Jesus. On the first week we light just one porple candle, then add one more each week, saving the rose one for the fourth and last Sunday. They symbolize prayer and repentance, expectation and joy. And on Christmas Eve, here at Good Shepherd at least, they are replaced by four white candles and the large white Christ candle is set in the middle, the Light of the World has come!
But before we arrive at that day we have today’s readings, and I have to address these signs of which Jesus is speaking, signs of destruction, confusion, fear, and forboding. These readings were selected for some reason. But as one of my commentaries – yes, I did read some, as well as listen – said, “Don’t get caught up in the details!” So this morning I think we really need to consider all three readings, albeit briefly, to get the big picture, the full picture.
Jeremiah has seen his people carried off into exile; he has seen the destruction of the temple. Temples in antiquity were considered the homes of the gods, and, if the temple should be destroyed, it meant that the people had been abandoned by their god. Frightening prospect, indeed. But not so, says Jeremiah in the OT passage. His God, the God of the Jews, the God of the exiles, does not dwell in a building but is out among his people. How else to explain God’s presence away from Jerusalem! And now Jeremiah says, this God has made a new covenant with his people, and they and Jerusalem will live in safety.
By the time Jesus was living and teaching in Jerusalem the temple had again reached “godlike” proportions. No wonder he foretold in our gospel reading of its destruction and the subsequent destruction of Jerusalem, and then spoke of the coming of the Son of Man with power and great glory. He knew what had happened before; he knew what was going to happen again. And my goodness, how history repeats itself, even today!
But Jesus moves on. His primary concern is, I think, always in the here and now. Yes, there may be terrible times on the horizon but don’t wallow in that! Instead stand up, be alert, pray for the strength to escape all those things and thus be ready for that time when God will break into your lives. Now I don’t think he is saying in these words that bad things are not going to happen. But it’s all in how we behave, how we react to times of trial, tribulation, stress. God is with us and will be always.
So in these days of Advent what we need to be doing as we prepare for the coming of the Light, is a little introspection, a little soul searching: what have we done to hurt our neighbor, how have we hurt ourselves, what can we do to bring reconciliation and peace to ourselves, to our communities, to our nation, to the world. A tall order but it can be done, one tiny step at a time! And as one help I suggest the daily reading our Advent Meditation Book, a great way to incorporate a little quiet time into your lives, our lives..
Jesus is always stressing relationships, God’s with us, ours with God, ours with each other. And Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessolonica is all about those relationships, his, Paul’s, with the Thessalonians and theirs with each other, as he gives God thanks for them for the joy they have given him and as he prays that they will increase in their love for one another and grow in holiness and by implication faith in order that they may stand blameless before their God. Actually they sound almost too good to be true but it was Paul’s way of encouraging them, of keeping them srong in their faith. He couldn’t be there so this was the next best thing. Encourage, build up, accentuate the positive!
This is the faith, the life, the christian life, that Baby Finnian is about to become part of, a life built on relationships, on community. And it all starts with baptism. Through baptism we become part of a very big, very special family, the family of Christ, the Church, the Christian Church. As part of that body we promise to support one another, in prayer, in friendship, in coming together to worship, in visiting, in phone calls, in cards, by giving of our time and our talents, and – need I remind you? – by pledging our money to maintain our building, our programs, our staff, by doing whatever it takes to keep us connected, keep us in community, keep us in this Christ centered community. This is what we hope for Finnian as he grows and learns about it, that he will by and with the Grace of God recognize and realize what a wonderful family he is part of.
The portion of the psalm that we read earlier ends with the following verse: “All the paths of the Lord are love and faithfulness to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.” May Finnian and all of us see those paths clearly before us and daily follow them as we listen, listen, for and to the Word of God.
Happy New Year.
Amen.
Sonia F. G. Stevenson, M. Div.
Church of the Good Shepherd