Christmas Has JUST Begun

John 1:1-14

I have a poem I’d like to share with you. It’s called “The Month After Christmas.”

Twas the month after Christmas, and all through the house,
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.
The cookies I’d nibbled, the eggnog I’d tasted.
All the holiday parties had gone to my waist.
When I got on the scales, such a number arose!
I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber).

I’d remember the marvelous meals I’d prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,
The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I’d never said, “No thank you, please.”

As I dressed myself in my husband’s old shirt,
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt—
I said to myself, as I only can,
“You can’t spend a winter disguised as a man!”

So, away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip,
Every last bit of food that I like must be banished,
Till all the additional ounces have vanished.

I won’t have a cookie–not even a lick.
I’ll want only to chew on a long celery stick.
I won’t have hot biscuits, or cornbread, or pie,
I’ll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.

I’m hungry, I’m lonesome, and life is a bore—
But isn’t that what January is for?
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all, and all a good diet![1]

So take a big breath, and now let out a big sigh.

Christmas is over!

Or is it?

Let’s think about this for a minute.

We are actually in the middle of celebrating the Christmas season right now because Christmas doesn’t begin until December 25th, when we celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus. So, according to the Christian calendar, we are just starting the Christmas Season.

Of course, according to the secular world, Christmas started the day after Halloween and ended on December 25th. This lengthy season gives us, the consumer, plenty of time to spend, spend, spend –

because love for our fellow man is measured by how much we spend, right?

Then, on December 26th, the POST-Christmas season begins, when you rush out to big sales to spend even more money on items you didn’t receive on the 25th.

We are always so busy during the Christmas season. We are rushing here, rushing there. Yet, as we opened our presents that morning, the thought that had been dwelling in my mind for the past several weeks came to the forefront of my thinking. We, as Christians, are polarized by this holiday. We battle against the secularization and commercialism of one of the two most Holy days in the life of a Christian.

We participate in the holiday hustle and bustle of shopping, parties, etc., while raging against the system. Our priorities are all tangled up, just like our tree lights when we get them out each year, no matter how hard we try to keep them neat and orderly. So we close our eyes and try to focus on the reason for the season, but the world keeps getting in our faces when we open them.

These two pictures do not go together. They conflict with one another. So we come away confused, wondering what we are supposed to see at Christmas time.

 Who is this child born into our midst? That’s the question.

The story opens with Jesus’ birth to Mary and Joseph, the angels singing, and the shepherds, actual working and struggling people like us, coming to behold this strange new gift to a world on the edge of despair. But the readings for Christmas Day do not answer who this child is. Instead, they embrace the sweep of human and divine history. They look back and forth to find the depth of the mystery and meaning of Christmas.

John 1:1-14 is the third time the Bible tells a Christmas Story. It is the same story we heard last night; the story of the manger and the shepherds and the angels — and the same story Matthew tells in his Gospel, with Joseph’s dreams and the wise men, but the point of view is different. John’s Gospel sounds strange to ears more accustomed to descriptions of crowded inns and angel choirs. That’s because other people are telling the same story.

The Christmas story we are all most familiar with: Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, Bethlehem, angels, shepherds, and some outstanding singing. We usually throw in a donkey or a barn and add our little adventure that every door in Bethlehem was slammed in poor Joseph and Mary’s faces, although none of that is in the text.

This morning, however, we hear the same Christmas story. Still, we are told very differently than the one we are most familiar with: no Mary and Joseph, no angels or shepherds, no little town of Bethlehem, no swaddling clothes or manger.

John begins the birth story in John 1:1:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

John begins the story a lot earlier — he reminds us that Christmas begins just before Genesis — before the beginning of creation. John talks about the Word of God —God in action, God creating, revealing, and redeeming.

The Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Then he tells the birth story — in only nine words:

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.”

‘The Word’ who was with God in creation, the one who is God at work in history and human life, this one became a person, became flesh — as utterly human as you and I. Not God with a “people-suit” disguise on; not a good person whom God rewarded and made memorable, not a super angel God created earlier and saved up for Bethlehem.

Only God can tell us that the baby born to Mary in Bethlehem is the eternal Word. If God had not told us THIS Christmas story, we would still have THAT Christmas story about Mary and Joseph and angels and shepherds. But we would never see its significance.

Shocking!

Unbelievable!

The Word becomes flesh in a vulnerable, inarticulate baby. The message is this: someday, the child will grow and become an adult and walk, talk, love, live, say things, and do things that will show us how much God loves us. But even here, even in this Christmas season, what we celebrate is not the potential for communication that a baby has—but that someday God will speak through incarnate life. We celebrate that this baby, the Word made flesh, was already a wholly formed message of love, full of grace and truth toward us. God is saying:

Here I am.
I am with you.
I am for you.
I am trusting myself to you.

I need you.

Christmas means that God keeps His Word. John 1:1,14 says:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us……”

You see, God is a God of His Word 365 days a year. In that sense, we can celebrate Christmas all year. In one of my all-time favorite movies, the original Miracle on 34th Street, the character played by Edmund Gwenn explains it best with the line,

“Christmas isn’t a day; Christmas is a state of mind.”

To sum it all up, the next time someone asks,

“Well, Christmas is over … now what?”

ask them what they mean by Christmas being over.

Christmas is never over because God keeps His Word 24 hours a day/ 7days a week /365 days a year.

Jesus came into the world to know human suffering and teach important lessons to serve humankind forever. Ultimately, Jesus, the light of the world, came to deliver his people from sinful ways and point them toward salvation.

Let us pray:

God, I approach this Christmas season with some trepidation, and a lot of fear and trembling. Because I don’t know if I really  understood before,  what was sacred,

before now.

All the pomp and circumstance of Christmas lies by the wayside now, like crumpled wrapping paper. After all, we are not here to impress anybody. What is left is the Christ Candle, burning the conviction into our hearts, that life is sacred, precisely because it is all so unique and beautiful and brief.

Fill us up, with what Christmas means for each of us this year. Reminding us that God sent a baby in a manger for every one of us and God values us– enough to send babies and angels, and teachers and doctors and nurses, and vaccines and masks, and phone calls and cards, and candles and stars, and every other symbol that we need to remind us that we are beloved.

And that we are here to fill the world with love any way we can, because that is the Christmas miracle turning emptiness into something else.

Let us go and be comforted by the Love of God.
May God bless us and keep us in Belovedness—
wrapped in the miracle that God is here. [2]

Amen.

Delivered at Trinity Episcopal Church on Capitol Square, Columbus, OH; December 25, 2023

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[1]      Author unknown, The Wonders of Christmas
[2]      Excerpted from Pastor Katy Stenta

Through the Backdoor

Luke 2:1-20

Holy One, we gather in the darkness of this night to remember the sacred story: The baby that has been born. We offer our deep gratitude. We look ahead with anticipation. We place our world, communities, loved ones, and ourselves in your tender care. For the desperate, we pray for hope. For the fearful, we pray for peace. For the heartbroken, we pray for joy. For all people, on this holy night, we pray love. Let us know your powerful and intimate presence with us as we celebrate the birth of your son, Jesus. Amen.

I think I was eight or ten years old the first time I was in a Christmas pageant. Because I had a good memory and projecting voice, I was always the narrator of the Christmas story into my late teens. That was my privilege and honor.

Luke tells us the most familiar Christmas story, and he does an excellent job setting the whole stage for the story. He begins with the headline of the day:

“In those days, a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered.”  (Luke 2:1)

If there had been newspapers in the ancient Mediterranean world, this would have been the front-page headline on every one of them. In Athens, Ephesus, Damascus, Alexandria, and Jerusalem alike, the big news was this decree from the Roman emperor. It would have been the lead story on every news broadcast and the hot topic of each roundtable discussion. It set people in motion throughout the Empire, including a newly married couple from Nazareth.

But, I call Christmas “God’s sneak attack” because the Baby Jesus didn’t come marching into the world through the front door. He didn’t come with power or prominence, with influence or importance. He didn’t enter into the spotlight. God came into the world through the back door; he snuck in. He came practically unnoticed by the world to an obscure and unimportant place and unknown and insignificant people. And that continues to be his Christmas strategy. He continues to sneak into our world, into our lives, at Christmas time.

Christmas was — and continues to be — God’s sneak attack. He sneaks in through songs, traditions, and sentiment. He sneaks in through the season’s generosity, goodwill, and festivities. He sneaks in through the excitement children feel at Christmas.

Christmas gives us a glimpse of what God is like and what he continues to do. God didn’t come marching in through the front door, flexing his muscles, and demanding the spotlight. He could have, but he did not. The movie star may arrive with their entourage. The sports team trots onto the court or field with fanfare, cheers, and applause. The big-name performer receives a standing ovation. And the President, Prime Minister, and Queen are all welcomed by bands, red carpets, and protocol. But the King of Kings arrived in swaddling clothes, mostly ignored by the world. And, still today, the Lord does not barge into our lives. Instead, he stands at the door, knocks (Revelation 3:20), and waits for us to welcome him. [1]

Look at that familiar nativity scene and the elements there: Joseph and Mary, the little town of Bethlehem, a stable, and a manger. At Christmas, Jesus came into the lives of insignificant, ordinary people. That’s good news for you and me; he willingly comes into our lives, too. At Christmas, God came into a place that seemed small and unimportant. I’m glad my life and home are small and inconsequential. At Christmas, He went into a place that was dirty and unworthy of him. And that’s good news for me, for my heart is dirty and unworthy, yet God comes to reside there.

Philips Brooks’ Christmas carol sums up Jesus’ entry into the world:

“How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given; so God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven. No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive him; still the dear Christ enters in.”

Some people of Jesus’ time expected the Messiah to be an influential and powerful man who would free the Jewish nation from under Roman rule. But the Savior of the world, whose life, death, and resurrection would have eternal impact, was born into lowly circumstances. Neither Joseph nor Mary had a position or power, and even Jesus’ birth city of Bethlehem was politically unimportant. Those who kept vigil for a Messiah with worldly status no doubt missed the Savior when He came.

Here is a God who is marvelously willing and able. He is ready to come backstage, and then he can steal the show. I have seen the Christmas story repeatedly played out in individual lives. It is the story of this God who could come bursting in but does not. It is the story of this God who comes in gently and unassumingly, perhaps even unnoticed at first. And it is the story of this God who, bit by gracious bit, moves into the spotlight of our lives. He moves toward the center of our stage. And the God who comes into your life and mine backstage, by his mercy, becomes the star of our show.

I was eight or ten when I first narrated a Christmas pageant on Christmas Eve, which was my privilege. But it is today, my most incredible honor- and yours, too – to be a year-round nativity scene: a life that depicts how God comes and reigns.

Theologian and African-American, Howard Thuman penned these words:

On this Christmas Eve, as Baby Jesus was the light of the world:

“I will light candles this Christmas.
Candles of joy, despite all the sadness.
Candles of hope where despair keeps watch.
Candles of courage where fear is ever present.
Candles of peace for tempest-tossed days.
Candles of grace to ease heavy burdens.
Candles of love to inspire all of my living.
Candles that will burn all the year long. “[2]

Let us pray:

Jesus, the Light of the World, as we celebrate your birth, may we begin to see the world in the light of the understanding you give us. As you chose the lowly, the outcasts, and the poor to receive the most significant news the world had ever known, so may we worship you in the humility of heart. May we also remember our brothers and sisters less fortunate than ourselves in this season of giving.

Christmas Eve Benediction
As you leave this time of worship, may you carry with you the wonders of the sacred Christmas story: the unconventional hospitality of the manger, the painful joy of new birth, the fearful awe of encountering angels, the surprising presence of God in the swaddled Christ child. Go now in the hope of God, the peace of Christ, and the joy of the Spirit. Know that Divine Love always goes with you on this holy night and ever more.

Amen.

(starts 4:19-15:14)

Delivered at Ohio Living Westminster Thurber Tower and Westminster Terrace, Columbus, OH; 24 December 2023

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[1]      Adapted from David J. Kalas, Sermons on the Gospel Readings, Cycle C, CSS Publishing Company
[2]      Howard Thurman, The Mood of Christmas & Other Celebrations

Rejoice! I Say REJOICE!

 

John 1:6-8, 19-28

The Winter Solstice, the shortest and darkest day and longest night of the year –– occurs this week. It is the onset of the winter season when the sun is the furthest from Earth and is often a time of darkness, doubt, and fear. Winter solstice can significantly affect people, causing lethargy, irritability, and difficulty concentrating because of the reduced light. Lots of people feel unmotivated at this time of the year.

And yet, Sunday is Gaudete Sunday – a beloved day in the Advent season that fills our hearts with joy and anticipation. This unique Sunday is a beacon of joy and hope as we journey towards Christmas.

‘Gaudete’ is a Latin word meaning “Rejoice.” Philippians 4:4-5 instructs us to:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice. Let your forbearance be known to all, for the Lord is near at hand; have no anxiety about anything, but in all things, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God.

The ‘rejoice’ command appears over 150 times in the Bible; obviously, this is critical to following the teachings of Jesus.

The word Advent means “coming” or “arrival.” The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus in his First Advent and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Coming. Thus, Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,600-year-old historical event. It is celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of God in Christ, and all creations reconciled to God. Scripture readings for Advent emphasize the Second Coming, including accountability for faithfulness at His coming, judgment on sin, and the hope for eternal life.

The history of Gaudete Sunday is deeply rooted in Christian tradition. The observance dates back to the medieval period when the Church recognized the need to balance the penitential nature of Advent with moments of joy and hope. The third Sunday of Advent serves as a brief respite from the more somber aspects of the season, allowing believers to rejoice in the imminent arrival of the Christ child.

Today, Gaudete Sunday, REJOICE Sunday, reminds us that Christmas is nearly here. The somber tone suddenly turns joyous today – we shift from deep purple to pink to give us a clue that we’re nearly there. In essence, Gaudete Sunday encapsulates the dual nature of Advent – a time for reflection and repentance, balanced with anticipation and rejoicing in the promise of salvation. It serves as a reminder that, even in our preparations, there is joy in the expectation of the Christ child’s arrival.

All the expectation, the longing, and the waiting will soon be over – we’ll be opening the presents we wanted, and some perhaps we didn’t.

Sometimes, we can’t hide the disappointment in socks, homemade knitted scarves, or chunky sweaters knit by a well-meaning relative. As a people of faith, we do well to know where our true joy comes from – those who know the pain of disappointment in others, what they say and do, or what they forget to say and do.

True joy comes from God. If we rejoice when times are good, only when we get what we want, only when we hear what we want to hear, then quite frankly, God needn’t bother with Christmas.

“Keep your Son,” we should say – thank you very much, we don’t need him. Even John the Baptist wondered whether the guy he heard so much about was ‘the One’ – he sent his disciples to double-check. Jesus said: ‘The proof of the pudding is in the eating’ – see what’s happening – lives are changed.

Yours and my lives change through encounters with Jesus –or is something holding us back from fully embracing the little child?

For those who have faith that brings them to worship God (rather than just be entertained on a Sunday morning), joy and faith can keep us going – despite what life throws at us.

Our hymns at this time of year can particularly hit nerves. Take In the Bleak Midwinter, for one. Hasn’t it been miserable enough? This last year, we’ve had floods, drought, winds and storms. Christmas is nearly here to lift our hearts, and we start singing about bleak midwinters!

Perhaps the writer of that hymn did lose the plot and think that Jesus was born on a bleak, windy moor in a January blizzard. Was it winter in Bethlehem? Did it snow? Or was it an ordinary Middle Eastern night with nothing happening except angels appearing and singing?

Perhaps, though, some of us have in our minds what a bleak midwinter is all about – I don’t mean the weather outside; I mean the experience inside us. There are many stories within our communities of the midwinter life experiences – whose ground is hard and cold. Comfort can be elusive: maybe because of a loveless marriage, a depression that is hard to shake off, the sadness of life without a loved one, concern for a child, worry about health and the future, and so on. Christmas in this light can seem like fluffy, trivial nonsense. Christmas might be memorable for the comfortable or those wishing to escape reality, but a romantic, fluffy Christmas can offer little refuge to those in the bleak midwinter of life.

In this double focus on past and future, Advent also symbolizes the spiritual journey of individuals and a congregation, as they affirm that Christ has come, that He is present in the world today, and that He will come again in power. That acknowledgment provides a basis for Kingdom ethics, for holy living arising from a profound sense that we live “between the times.” We are to be faithful stewards of that entrusted to us as God’s people. So, as the Church celebrates God’s arrival in the Incarnation and anticipates a future consummation to that history for which “all creation is groaning awaiting its redemption,” it also confesses its responsibility as a people commissioned to

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart.”

and to

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:30)

A spirit of expectation, anticipation, preparation, and longing marks Advent. There is a yearning for deliverance from the evils of the world, first expressed by enslaved Israelites in Egypt as they cried out from their bitter oppression. It is the cry of those who have experienced the tyranny of injustice in a world under the curse of sin and yet who have hope of deliverance by a God who has heard the cries of oppressed enslaved people and brought salvation!

Although Gaudete Sunday is the third Sunday during the penitential period of Advent, it is a mid-point break in the Advent season. Gaudete Sunday is the chance to celebrate before returning to assessing our lives.

On Gaudete Sunday, the liturgical color is often rose or pink, a deviation from the usual Advent color of purple or blue, symbolizing the joy and excitement of the approaching celebration of Christmas. In some Christian traditions, the clergy lights a pink candle on the Advent wreath on Gaudete Sunday.

Advent was a time for preparing for Christmas through penance and fasting in medieval times. Today, Gaudete Sunday, is a day to relax from Advent penance and to rest, preparing ourselves for the final stretch of this penitential season.

The modern observance of Advent is often difficult to distinguish from the season of Christmas. The secular world is already in full party mode, with Christmas sweets, social celebrations, and even gift-giving.

It’s almost laughable to think of Advent today as a season of penance and fasting. Yet, Advent was a penitential season similar to Lent for most of Christian history, though never as strict. It consisted of periodic fasting and personal sacrifices, traditions that starkly contrast to the modern delicacies everyone enjoys throughout December.

Gaudete Sunday can be confusing and joyful in the middle of the Advent penances. There is joy in looking forward to the annual celebration of Christmas, but there is also joy in recalling the birth of Jesus on the first Christmas.

• Jesus was born to save us from sin (Matthew 1:21b).
• The rejoicing also extends to the anticipation of the Second Coming, either at the end of physical life or the end of the world, when believers will dwell in the place in the Father’s house (John 14:2) with God and his angels and saints for all eternity.

The Isaiah passage (Isaiah 61:1) is the first indication that this Sunday is about bringing good news:

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; (Isaiah 61:1)

And, following in later lines:

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, (Isaiah 61:10)

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 commands us:

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

The reading for Advent 3 usually includes the ‘Magnificat,’ Mary’s hymn of acceptance.

And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on, all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name” (Luke 1:46-49).

The foretelling of the Baby Jesus is another reason to be joyful on Gaudete Sunday.

In the spirit of joy and giving, some Christian communities use Gaudete Sunday to engage in acts of kindness and charity – possibly outreach to those in need or special community service projects.

Today, may Gaudete Sunday be filled with the joy, faith, hope, and love of the God who wants to be reborn in you and me again. All this, not so that we can feel great about ourselves and be smug and self-satisfied, but so that the love we encounter in God who gives everything may be modeled in what we do and think and say alongside others – those who believe and those who have yet to see through all the rubbish of religion and encounter the God of love and joy and relationship. That’s the sort of Christmas I want to sing about, right? Rejoice!

So we are told:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice.

Let us pray:

Loving Father, keep your Church faithful in telling the good news, loving justice, and drawing many to freedom through the joy of your forgiveness.

We pray that there may be integrity in leadership, mercy, justice for rich and poor, strong and weak, peace among nations, and respect for all.

We pray for our community, families, and friends for their hopes and fears. May the love of Christ be shown in what we do and how we speak. We remember now all those we know with special needs, locked in physical and emotional pain; all weighed down with worry or despair. God of Advent hope, will you restore, replenish, comfort, and free them?

Finally, loving Father, we commend those who have died to your love. We especially miss loved ones whose memory is a treasure at this time. May they and we, in turn, experience the joy of your eternity forever.

Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Delivered at Trinity Episcopal Church on Capitol Square, Columbus, OH; 17 December 2023

Advent 1 – The Season of Waiting

Today begins the Christian season of Advent; its origins in the fourth century draws its name from the Latin term “adventus,” which translates to “coming” or “arrival.” Initially, Advent was a season of fasting and penance, similar to the Lenten season. Early Christians dedicated this period to preparing their hearts and minds to celebrate the birth of Jesus through prayer and confession. Today, Advent is more a time of preparation and expectation of the coming of the Lord through His birth in Bethlehem.

In earlier times, Advent focused on self-reflection, repentance, and spiritual preparation. It served as a time for believers to reflect on the significance of Christ’s incarnation and anticipate his coming into the world, not only at his birth but the hopeful expectation of his promised return or second coming.

Advent spans four weeks by many denominations, including Catholic, Protestant, and Anglican churches, beginning on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. Each of the four Sundays of Advent has specific rites, readings, colors, and meanings of the candles in the Advent wreaths.

Over time, the observance of Advent underwent an evolution; the somber and penitential aspects gave way to a more joyful anticipation of Christ’s birth. The focus shifted from strict fasting and repentance to embracing a spirit of hope, expectation, and joyful waiting for the coming of the Messiah.

We see in the stories of ancient Israel and in the writings of the prophets a world very much like our own, a world of people rebelling against God and finding themselves lost in darkness again and again. The prophets also show how God had a plan for his people, Israel, and the world, extending beyond the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.

In Advent, we recall the ancient prophecies and signs that led to the birth of the Messiah, and we look forward in hope with faithful anticipation that the same Messiah, Jesus Christ, will come again as he promised.

Beyond its symbolic traditions and religious observances, Advent beckons Christians to engage in acts of charity, kindness, and generosity. This sacred season urges individuals to actively embody the core values of love and compassion actively, reaching out to others in meaningful ways.

Encouragement toward charitable events inspires Christians to participate in various service projects that benefit the less fortunate. These activities range from organizing food and clothing drives to volunteering at shelters or participating in community outreach programs.

Donations to those in need are an integral part of Advent observance. Whether it involves contributing resources, time, or skills, giving becomes a tangible expression of empathy and solidarity with those in need. Churches and charitable organizations often mobilize efforts to support marginalized groups, underscoring the importance of extending a helping hand during this season of goodwill.

While preparing for the Advent season, I came across this poem by Father Daniel Berrigan, which contradicts the negative thoughts of the world today. 

It is not true that creation and the human family are doomed to destruction and loss. In John 3:16, we are promised

For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life

It is not true that we must accept inhumanity and discrimination, hunger and poverty, death and destruction. Again, in John 10:10, we hear:

I have come that they may have life, and that abundantly.)

It is not true that violence and hatred should have the last word and that war and destruction rule forever. The prophet Isaiah foretold:

Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, his name shall be called wonderful councilor, mighty God, the Everlasting, the Prince of peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

It is not true that we are simply victims of the powers of evil who seek to rule the world. Matthew 28:18 tells us

To me is given authority in heaven and on earth, and lo I am with you, even until the end of the world.

It is not true that we have to wait for those who are specially gifted, who are the prophets of the Church before we can be peacemakers. The prophet Joel 2:28 reminds us

I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall have dreams.

It is not true that our hopes for the liberation of humankind, justice, human dignity, and peace are not meant for this earth and history. John 4:23 gives us hope:

The hour comes, and it is now, that the true worshipers shall worship God in spirit and truth.

So let us enter Advent in hope, even hope against hope. Let us see visions of love, peace, and justice. Let us affirm with humility, joy, faith, and courage:

Jesus Christ is the life of the world.

Let us be patient and wait. Wait for the coming of the baby Jesus.

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. (James 5:7-8)

Let us pray:

God of Advent waiting, You do not grow tired or weary, but we do. Your understanding is unfathomable, but ours is very limited. So guide us with your wisdom and revive us with your power. We enter into this sacred season of Advent resting within your arms. Let us appreciate the light and the shadows of the season. Renew our strength and grant us your peace.

Amen.

(starts 2:53-13:08)

Delivered at Ohio Living Westminster Thurber Tower and Westminster Terrace, Columbus, OH;
3 December 2023