December 3, 2009 Sermon
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Advent 1 - C
December 3, 2006 Allan Conkling
Today begins the new church year. With the first Sunday of Advent we begin once again to tell anew "the old, old story of Jesus and his love." I begin by giving thanks that once again God, who has brought us safe thus far, is opening a new chapter in our life together. The curtain rises on another year: the 24th year of my ordained ministry, the beginning of my sixth year as Rector of this parish, and the 125th for Emmanuel church.
This first Sunday in Advent is like New Year's Day in the secular calendar. I hadn't thought of it this way, but at the very time as the stores are gearing up for the holidays, and everybody is getting their decorations up, it is as if the culture is behind the times. The world is starting Christmas while the church is already celebrating New Year. If this year is like the others I expect that by the time the day finally arrives, many will be at the point of exhaustion and wondering what the point is to all the celebration. Is that all there is? You know the answer already: there is more. We have only just begun to tell the story of God’s work in the world.
Now nobody loves the holiday season as much as I do, so you will not hear me criticize Christmas or the advertising, or the merchandizing. This is critical time of year for anyone in the retail business. But I have found there to be an enduring wisdom to keeping a season Advent, if we will but slow down enough to savor it. Thomas Merton once said that
"The Advent mystery is the beginning of the end of all in us that is not yet in Christ."
What we learn from the readings for today, for example, is that the Christ for whom we watch and wait for is not just little baby Jesus lying in the manger. We will get to that part of the story later on, but not today. One commentator describes the paradox this way:
"On the first Sunday of the new liturgical year, we do not lean into the stable with expectation. Instead, our year opens with eschatology." (Lectionary Homiletics, Advent 1, pg 78)
That is, we begin our story at the End...with a capital E.
Unlike the Greek Stoics who regarded history as circular--like a treadmill going round and round; or the Cynics, who saw the world as basically pointless, or ancient pagan faiths who saw the gods as fickle and in need of appeasement, we Christians believe that life has a point, that there is a goal and a purpose in life, and this life is Good. We believe that everything has its final end and ultimate meaning in a Creator who loves us with an extravagant love. God has been most fully revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Advent brings us, as it always does, to the intersection of God's time and our time: Kairos and Chronos. Our story is filled with hopes, dreams and promises, both here, in this life and for eternity. The Good News is that everyone is welcomed by the loving embrace of Christ. No exceptions.
More and more, we Episcopalians find ourselves out of step with most other Protestant churches. Most churches don’t do Advent at all, which is always a mystery to me. This can be a time to stop and reflect, and remind ourselves that there is more to this life than us:
"There will be signs in the sun, the moon and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming on the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken."
Nowadays we say that there is no way of knowing when that end will come. And by spending all our time "looking up" we miss the beauty of the world around us. The purpose of this time is not to make us frightened or confused, but it is to help increase our depth of spirituality, to help us remember our place in the grand scheme of things, and to remind us that we are forever dependent not upon our selves or our own resourcefulness, but upon our Creator, our Redeemer, and our Sanctifier.
I know I have done this before, but I invite you to start the year by making a different New Year's resolution than what we will do in a month from now. First, resolve to anticipate. Make it a point over the next few weeks to stop what you are doing from time to time, and let things unfold according to God’s timing. Second, resolve to give thanks again and often. Third, get busy, but in a way that has nothing to do with party preparation or holiday shopping. Get busy living life to its fullest. Love exceedingly all of God's creation. And be all that God would have you be. Stay awake to opportunities to serve and pray and give your life to Christ.
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Revised: 12/06/09