Jeremiah 33:14-16, Luke 21:25-36
“In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.”
Let us Pray
God of our salvation, here is wisdom, peace, and joy for those who keep your Word. By the power of your Holy Spirit, lead us in your truth and teach us to do your will; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our daughter Oonagh is learning how to swing on a swing set. Until very recently, she would sit on the swing, and either her mother or I would have to push her. She loves the swing, and she shouts higher and higher with every push. But recently, she learned how to pump her legs and swing herself.
The other day, we were across the street on the playground, and Oonagh wanted to show me how she learned to swing. She climbed up and sat down. I started her off with a little push, but she was soon pumping and swinging alone.
As I stood there and watched, as a proud father, I noticed that at the apex of the swing, she was neither moving forward nor backward; she would just hang there, suspended between moving forward and falling backward. The season of Advent is a lot like that.
During Advent, we are in that liminal space between what was and what is yet to come. It is not quite Christmas, but it is not the days after Pentecost either. Although there are certain similarities between Lent and Advent, Advent is that odd time of the year when the world wants us to speed up, but the church wants us to slow down.
Advent is a season all its own, but we still need to remember the importance of this time of year. This is the season of preparation.
I like history. I like reading about it and watching documentaries about historical events. Ruth Goodman is a British historian who specializes in the social and domestic history of Britain and the British Isles. She likes to immerse herself in a time, use the tools of the time, and basically live as if she were living in that time. Ruth likes to say that we can never truly understand or appreciate history unless we have tried to live it.
Ruth and a few others have made a couple of television series about living in a forgotten time. I just finished watching one she made several years ago about living on a farm in Victorian England. During the Victorian age, many of the “traditions” started around the celebration of Christmas. I will remind you that from 1659 until 1681, Christmas was banned and punishable by a steep fine here in New England.
The Victorian age saw the first time homes were decorated for Christmas, and it became a tradition to decorate one’s house with a tree on Christmas Eve. Although Hallmark and Target want us to believe Christmas starts shortly after the 4th of July, the Christmas season starts on December 24th.
Advent was a time of strict preparation, including fasting and abstinence, as well as confession. While we like to head to parties, shop, and sit on Santa’s lap, our ancestors fasted from all meat and dairy during the four-week run-up to the birth of Christ.
Now, one would keep one’s home decorated until Candlemas, which falls on the Second of February when Christmas ends. By then, we are already purchasing stuff for our summer holidays, but we tend to lose something special when we rush the season and pack it all up the day after.
Now, there is nothing wrong with decorating early. In fact, if decorating your house for Christmas makes you happy, do it whenever you want, but make some time for Advent as well.
The Scripture readings we heard this morning speak of a time to come, not of Jesus being born in a manger, but a time when Jesus will bring justice and righteousness for all. Jeremiah and Luke remind us to be prepared and not to worry about what is coming, for we are people of hope.
Jeremiah begins with God’s promise that one is coming who will “execute justice and righteousness in the land.” Jeremiah is writing at a time of immense political turmoil in the land, and a vast number of people are being persecuted.
Jeremiah writes of a time when justice and righteousness will rule not in a juridical way of punishment but in a loving way of mercy and equality. The people clammer for justice against those who we are told are our enemies, the ones taking our jobs and causing our taxes to rise. Jeremiah writes of a justice of love and generosity with room for everyone.
Theologian Rachel Mann writes, “At the start of this Advent journey of faith and hope, let’s remind ourselves of the unconditional generosity and abundance of God’s love.” We need to remind ourselves, but we also need to remind the world that God’s unconditional love is so vast that there is room for everyone.
Jeremiah reminds us that we are to have hope, but we cannot just sit around and wait. We have to get busy bringing about justice and mercy and also showing God’s unconditional love.
We also heard from Luke this morning. We will be spending a lot of time in Luke during this Advent season, and Luke, like Jeremiah, writes of not Jesus’ first coming but his second. Luke reminds us that we need to take time to prepare. This is not physical preparation but rather spiritual.
Our ancestors in faith practiced this time of preparation very harshly and strictly. Fasting, abstinence, and confession prepared the spiritual body as well as the physical. But it is also a reminder that this time of the year needs to be different. We need to set aside time in the business of our lives to prepare for the birth of the one who is the reason for the season.
We will light one of the candles on the wreath as we begin worship during the next four weeks. This morning, we lit the candle representing hope. On this first Sunday of Advent, we are reminded that we are people who need to live in hope, for we are not alone on this journey.
Each week, we light another candle but also the one from the previous Sunday, and in the end, we light a candle in the middle representing Jesus Christ. But I want you to pay special attention to the candle we lit this morning, as this candle burns throughout the entire journey and will be the smallest at the end.
The candle of hope burns the longest and reminds us that we will never be without hope. Hope anchors us in our faith and drives us to spread God’s unconditional love to all those around us.
I know this is a busy season, and there is a lot to get accomplished in a few short weeks, but I ask you to take a few moments each day to slow down, spiritually prepare for what is coming, and remember to be the light of hope in the world.
Amen.
