Just a word before we go...First Sunday of Advent...November 27, 2022
Isaiah, in our first reading today, paints a picture of what will be “In the days to come.”
Swords will become plowshares and nations will be at peace. It isn’t hard to see that the way things stand now does not reflect God’s plan for the well-being and peace for all people. We do not walk in the light of the Lord, yet. We wait with longing, in anticipation of the One who is to come, for the kingdom of God to break through to us and show us the way. But, for those who have the ears to hear and the eyes to see, the Way is already known, if not put into practice.
The stories told by our scripture writers today reflect a gradual unfolding of understanding of who God is and how God desires people to come close, moving from burnt offerings to caring for the poor, for those who have no one to help them. Advent calls us back to recognizing that Way, to seeking relationship with all that God created, all that will eventually find fulfillment in Christ.
The time is now, the moment to be awake is here, not only for the end of time that is beyond our knowing, but for the moments of grace that God sends each of us throughout our lives. Ask for them, look for them, savor them. They are signs of God’s love and goodness and they will sustain us as we move forward through this season of grace.
If you are struggling for meaning this Advent, perhaps the following aphorisms might help:
Think of others (perhaps take some tags from the Giving Tree?)
Give it to God (if you have a problem that you are having difficulty dealing with)
Enough is plenty (perhaps it is time to consider how many Christmas gifts we really need?)
One suggestion for kindling the Advent spirit is to join us on Friday, December 2, at 7 pm, here in the church, for our annual Advent Evening of Reflection. Through music, prayers and anointing, in the presence of our new icon chapel, the quiet and peace of the season just might enter your heart, and prepare the way for a fruitful and blessed Christmas.