Advent 1 A, November 27, 2016

Advent tells us Christ is near;
Christmas tells us Christ is here.
 
Some of you may have been Episcopalians long enough to remember those words!
They are the opening lines of a hymn written by Katherine Hankey in 1888.
It was included in our former Hymnal 1940—but left out of the current Hymnal 1982.
What a shame!
For it served the useful purpose of teaching children (of all ages) about the seasons of the Church Year.
And we probably still need that!
 
Just in case you don’t know—we begin a new Church Year today—on the First Sunday of Advent.
Advent tells us Christ is near.
On these four Sunday’s before Christmas—we contemplate the Advent—the Coming—of Our Lord Jesus Christ—for He is near!
 
The Church Year—with which you can familiarize yourself by taking home a copy of our Episcopal Liturgical Calendar—is a gift that brings meaning to the secular calendar and its seasons—and enriches us spiritually.
It allows us—year after year—to walk with Jesus.
We are joined with Christ—by re-living the events of his life and ministry through the seasons of the Church Year.
It is as though we were there!
 
The Church Year also offers members of a congregation—and a denomination—a sense of shared identity—a feeling of community.
For we are not there with Jesus alone.
We are there together!
 
Celebrating the seasons of the Church Year can be thought of as holding a conversation with God.
The first half of the Church Year—Advent through Pentecost—represents God speaking to us—through the Incarnation of his Son.
It reveals the very Nature of God in the person of Jesus Christ:  His birth, death, resurrection, and ascension—and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
 
The second half of the Church Year—the Sundays and weekdays after Pentecost—is referred to as “Ordinary Time.”
It shifts our focus to our own personal response to God.
First—God speaks to us.
Then—we respond.
What will we do—in response to all that God has done for us?
In this season of “Ordinary Time” we concentrate on the mission and ministry which belong to those who profess Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
 
Today—then—we begin a new Church Year—with the season of Advent—which tell us that Christ’s coming is near.
 
First—a disclaimer.
We must confess that the spirit of Advent goes against the grain of what most people think of as the “Holiday Season.”
Advent is counter-cultural—if you will.
While everyone else is decorating, buying presents, and getting ready to party—we are asked to be reflective.
Advent poses a profound and serious question:
Are we ready?
Are we ready to receive Our Lord when he comes?
The premise is that the way we are living now—the things we are saying and doing in our everyday lives—will determine our readiness.
“For the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”
 
Advent reminds us that Jesus Christ “came to visit us in great humility”—some 2016 years ago.
After this “visit”—he ascended into Heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God the Father—from whence—as the Creed says—“he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.”
It is Christ’s coming again—on “the last day”—“in glorious majesty—to judge both the living and the dead”—with which Advent is primarily concerned.
And so the question for each of us is:
Are we ready for that day?
 
The time we are given in which to prepare is “now—in the time of this mortal life.”
And none of us knows how long that will be.
For those of us who are getting older—(and none of us are getting any younger)—the words of St. Paul say it all:
“Now is the moment for you to wake from sleep.
“For salvation is nearer now than it was when we first became believers.
“The night is far gone—and the Day is near!”   
 
Advent tells us Christ is near.
Therefore we must be ready!
As the Apostle Paul says:
“Let us then lay aside the works of darkness—and put on the armor of light.
“Let us live honorably—not in reveling and drunkenness—not in debauchery and licentiousness—not in quarreling and jealousy.
“Instead—let us put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Only so will we be ready when he comes!
 
Jesus himself says that the Day of his Coming will take everyone by surprise.
No one knows when it will be:
Not humans, not angels, not even Jesus himself--but only God the Father.
It will be just like the flood that God brought upon the world in the time of Noah.
People went on with their lives as usual—knowing nothing until the flood came—and suddenly swept them all away.
Only Noah and his family were ready.
Advent tells us that we also must be ready:
“For the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”
 
I think you can see what I mean when I say that Advent is counter-cultural.
There is nothing here about holly, mistletoe, reindeer, or sleigh bells in the snow.
There is no Silent Night, no Christmas trees, no Nativity scenes.
Just the stark message of Christ’s Coming—and our need to be ready.
Advent tells us Christ is near.
 
But that’s not the whole story.
Remember what the Prophet Isaiah had to say concerning the “days to come.”
Isaiah had a vision of a New Jerusalem—built on the highest of all mountains.
In those days—the “last days”—all the peoples of the earth will be drawn to the Holy City—and will come streaming into its gates.
They will come to worship the God of Jacob—and to learn his ways.
The Word of the Lord will arbitrate all disputes between the nations—and will preside over a Peaceable Kingdom where there is no more war.
 
Isaiah’s vision shows us the positive side of Advent.
Jesus Christ himself is the “Word of the Lord”—the Word of God Incarnate—whose Coming will finally bring peace to the world.
His Kingdom will finally bring about the unity that has always eluded human efforts.
On that day, God’s people will “rise to the life immortal”—and reign with him forever!
 
Imagine all the nations of the world—finally at peace with each other.
Imagine all the peoples of the world—finally brought together in perfect harmony.
Imagine the joy of Eternal Life—to be shared by all in the very Presence of God.
(Even John Lennon couldn’t “imagine” all that!)
That is what Christ’s Advent will bring.
That is what awaits God’s people on the last day.
That is what we are called to be ready for!
 
Advent tells us Christ is near.
Today is the beginning of a new Church Year.
During this year—God willing—Christians who observe the Church Year will walk together with Jesus—through all the holy events of his life and death and resurrection.
We will enter into a conversation with God--listening to hear God speak to us—and striving to do God’s will in response.
 
Beginning with these four weeks before Christmas—while the world prepares to party—we will be engaged in a different kind of preparation.
We will contemplate the Coming of our Lord—and reflect on the question:
Are we ready?
 
Advent tells us Christ is near.
Only when we have heard the Advent message—and responded to it—will we be ready to say:
Christmas tells us Christ is here.
 
AMEN.