December 14, 2008 Sermon
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Advent 3 - B 2008 8:00am
December 14, 2008 Allan Conkling
When I was growing up my family always seemed to wait until the last minute to buy a Christmas tree. Giving in finally to the whines of my sister and me to, "Please, can't we be like everyone else" we would, maybe, the week before Christmas go to the tree lot. Dad would always say that we should be glad, since the custom in his family was to decorate the tree Christmas Eve. Oh, my! These days my grown children put up their trees in about October. It's funny to see how old traditions change over time as new traditions are born. Even in a traditional church like Emmanuel, today's lone pink candle on the Advent wreath stands as a reminder of how things do change with the passing of time.
Until about the 1960's when sweeping changes overtook the Catholics, Episcopalians and others Advent still was considered a season of penitence. It was like Lent, but on a smaller scale. Third Advent was called "Gaudete Sunday" from the opening words of the Latin mass (Gaudete in Domino semper) "Rejoice in the Lord always..." With December 8 as Feast of the Immaculate Conception and with the Magnificat being sung or said ("My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord...") this day also came to be regarded as "Mary Sunday".
Over time we have shifted away from the penitential side of Advent. Blue now distinguishes Advent from Lent in many places. The emphasis is now more on the Lord's second coming. We read about John the Baptist, while the Virgin Mary is moved to next week. We still light the rose colored candle today and while it might have had more significance in times past, we can take this day to emphasize the joyful anticipation with which we wait upon the Lord. "I will greatly rejoice," says Isaiah:
"My whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation..."
And St Paul says:
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1Thes. 5:16)
This time of year we hear choirs everywhere singing "Joy to the world the Lord has come!" and "Tidings of comfort and joy." For many however this season can be one of the most challenging and stressful of the entire year. For many it is laden not with comfort and joy, but with pressure to live life at a fevered pitch. Realities of a sagging economy, illness or loss hit us in a most powerful way. What is supposed to be a time of joyfulness is for many a time of dread, difficulty, even despair. What can we to do to keep things in perspective and keep the "holy" in the holiday? The key is found right here in the rose candle of Advent.
In John's Gospel we are reminded that the birth of baby Jesus was only one moment one point on a line extending from the beginning of creation through the end of time. In the fullness of time God sent his Son. We who live in the fullness of time are part of that divine history if we will but open our eyes and still our hearts.
Advent is not simply to count down the days until Christmas, but to shake us and wake us and get us to think about who we are, and whose we are. We have nothing to fear. No storm is too great, no loss so overwhelming when we rest firmly in the arms of God, grounded upon the rock of our salvation.
With just a couple of weeks left before the big day there is still plenty of time to re-discover and take hold of the true meaning of the season. What are we waiting for? God will reveal what is good and hopeful and true in all of us. God calls us to greater heights than we could ever attain on our own. Through us God’s Spirit leads us beyond these walls to bring good news to those who dwell in darkness. The candles of Advent are our symbolic reminder of God's light in the world--to us and through us.
Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding. "Christ is nigh it seems to say; Cast away the works of darkness, O ye children of the day."
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Revised: 12/29/08