From The Pastor’s Desk
Our lives today are not inconvenienced by darkness or the winter cold as in the early days of Christianity. We, with our modern technology, find winter a mere inconvenience, but our darkness’s are no less real and our day and time are perhaps more terrible than that of our ancestors in faith. For many the Advent days are frantic and hurried as we keep step with our culture’s Christmastime demands. For most of us Christmas touches some memory of childhood wonder and reminds us of those special times that will never be recaptured. Our culture’s expectation of Christmas contrasts with the experience of longing for the coming of Christ. For all of us there is a communal darkness of a time of war and terrorism, our consumer driven society, and selfishness leading to many forms of injustice. Into all of these emotions came the Advent proclamation of the Lord’s coming as the Son of Man.
Advent is a celebration of God’s promise that the Lord will indeed come and we as Christians need to make ready his way. The Advent attitudes are to be joyous and hope filled, trusting in a loving Father who sent His Son. Many of our Advent readings throughout the Sundays as well as the weekday readings referred to events long past and persons associated with Jesus’ first coming. They also include some of Israel’s finest poetry and exciting sections from the early church’s classic collection of letters. Advent’s focus however, is not on the past but on the future. Advent sees those events and persons as symbols and models for a new advent which stretches far before us into the future of human history. It is at some time in history when God’s plan for humanity will be fulfilled.
In our path through Advent, we have been made very much aware of the theme of promise and fulfillment. This biblical theme is fundamental for Advent, in which we see the present time as a fulfillment with regard to past history and as a promise of future fulfillment. The New Testament times could look back to the Old Testament and see in the writing the promise of what was now fulfilled in its gospel experience. Today we see how the New Testament itself is fulfilled in its daily unfolding, full of surprises, guided by the Holy Spirit.
As we celebrate the fourth Sunday of Advent this weekend, take a deep breath and spend some quiet time with eyes closed (not asleep), thanking God for the gift of His Son whose birth we will celebrate in just a few days. Have a Blessed Christmas.