Loading...Dear Friends in Christ,
Merry Christmas! When you read this, we will be in the Advent Season and not the Christmas Season. So, I guess the correct greeting would be Happy Advent. As good Episcopalians, you know the difference, but it is always good to remind ourselves and remember the seasons of the church.
Advent begins the new church year. In an old Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, this conversation takes place. In the first frame Calvin speaks to Hobbes and says, “Live for the moment is my motto. You never know how long you’ve got.” In the second frame he explains, “You could step into the road tomorrow and WHAM, you get hit by a cement truck! Then you’d be sorry you put off your pleasures. That’s what I say, live for the moment.” And then he asks Hobbes, “What’s your motto?” Hobbes replies, “My motto is, ‘Look down the road.’”
That is pretty much what the season of Advent is, Looking down the road, being prepared for what is coming. The word Advent means “coming” or “arrival”. The focus of the entire season is the preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent or coming and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent. This, Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,000 year-old event in history. It is celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation might be reconciled to God. That is a process in which we will participate the next four weeks and the fulfillment of which we anticipate. Scripture readings for Advent reflects this emphasis on the Second Coming, including themes of accountability for faithfulness at His coming, judgment on sin, and the hope of eternal life.
I am convinced that one of the main purposes of the incarnation of Jesus was to provide hope. That is what the first candle means that we light on our Advent Wreath. The second candle is called the peace candle. “The PeaceableKingdom” is an often artistic representation of the oft-quoted passage from Isaiah. We see animals that are natural enemies sitting together peacefully under the widespread branches of a sheltering tree: a lion, a bear, a cheetah, a wolf, a snake, along with lambs, a rabbit and a small child in their midst. When we consider the reality of the world of which we are a part, we might wonder: Is this scene merely a fanciful myth? An impossible dream? Or might it be a vision of our future, promised by God? What do the next two candles represent? We will discuss that at our Advent Study this month. Check the calendar for times and places.
The Christmas season begins on Dec. 25, the day we celebrate Jesus’ birthday. Everything that we do before Christmas Day should be a time of preparation. The Christmas Season lasts for twelve days. In some traditions, people give and receive a gift on each of those twelve days. The Christmas song The Twelve Days of Christmas is an example of that, but I don’t suggest you give those gifts for it would be extremely expensive, crowded, and messy with all those birds, cows, leaping lords, and milking maidens.
The Christmas Season ends with the Feast of the Epiphany, which is the observance of the visit of the Magi. It also represents the taking of the Light into the world. The Light, of course, is the Good News of Jesus Christ. The Cluster traditionally celebrates Epiphany with a service at St. Mary’s that ends with us lighting candles in the church and taking them into the darkness of the world. Then everyone is invited downstairs into Williamson Hall for a feast of wonderful food prepared by Debbie. This year’s Epiphany service will be held on Epiphany Eve, the twelfth day of Christmas, Jan. 5, beginning at 6:30. I hope you will come and celebrate with us.
God Bless and Happy Advent!
In Christ’s Love,
Father Russ
