1st Sunday in Advent

Good Morning!
And Happy First Sunday of Advent!

Except Advent isn’t all shine and rainbows.
When you look “Advent” up in the dictionary:
The first two definitions are obviously about the Coming of Jesus:
Jesus’ first Advent:
in his human birth.
And his second Advent: which is still yet to come.

But advent, NOT capitalized:
Literally means “a coming into being.”
Or a “Coming into use.”

Advent is:
Something coming: but not yet quite here.

And the images in advent:
As we will see in the coming weeks:
Aren’t really glorious images of the beautiful hope that is to come:
(or of the sweet Christ-Child in the manger.)

Before that:
There are all sorts of images of unfinishedness:

Unfulfilled-ness:
Even images of destruction and despair:
Before the great glorious “coming into being” that is yet to be realized.

Even JESUS talks about this in today’s Gospel.
He says, “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars,
And on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea
and the waves.
People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world,
For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”

These words from Jesus sound less than happy.
They sound terrifying.

Part of the season of Advent is acknowledging this terrifying reality.
The terrifying reality of things not being as the should be:
The hard road of coming into being.
(Or as we heard a few weeks ago: the beginning of the birth pangs).

So there’s that sort of terrifying reality that is a piece of Advent.

And the other part of Advent:
Is the expectant hope:
The expectant SOLID BELIEF:
That the current terrifying reality is not the end:
That something better is coming into being.

And Jesus points us in this direction:
He says, “Now when these things begin to take place.”
(Meaning this terrifying stuff about distress among nations, and fear and
foreboding.)

When these things begin to take place:
Stand up and raise your heads:
Because your redemption is drawing near.”

The point of all of this is:
That Advent isn’t just about waiting for Jesus to be born
(although it is that)

It’s ALSO the time of waiting:
THROUGH the despair and the destruction:
For something more to come into being.

In Jerimiah:
We heard today:
That God promises that the days are coming:
When a righteous Branch will spring up and bring about true justice and
righteousness.
But this hasn’t happened yet.

And the faithful people:
In Jeremiah’s time and ours:
Are called to patience and hope.

But not in a trite way:
In a true:
Steadfast belief that it WILL happen.
DEMANDING that it will happen:
That the true Advent WILL come:
That the entire world will come into being as God intended.

And ALSO:
This has implications for us right here at St. John’s.

We’re obviously waiting in this season of Advent:
For the Christ child to be born.

And we’re obviously waiting:
For the moment where Jesus comes again:
To bring the entire world into being.

But it’s also more local than that.
Maybe even more imminent than that.

I believe that we, at St. John’s church in New London:
Are also waiting for our own coming into being:
Into what God intends for us.
Our own sort of revival.

I think that God wants something more for us.

LONGS for something more for us:
And it’s our job to invite and welcome it in.

It’s our job to shout and scream “Come lord Jesus.”
Not because Jesus isn’t already here:
But because we want more:
Because we believe there can be more:
We can even DEMAND MORE.

And there’s a lot of darkness and destruction in today’s world.
In our own lives,
And sometimes even clouding over our own beloved church.

It seems to me:
That this season of Advent is the perfect time for us to begin to pray out the
darkness and destruction:
And to invite in the light.

It’s the perfect time:
to pray for renewal:
for Revival:
To believe that it is possible:
And to maybe even DEMAND that it take place.

Our opening Collect:
(which was read today in every Episcopal Church across this country)
acknowledges this:

We prayed, “Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works
of darkness, an put upon us the armor of light.”

But I want more even more than this one prayer offers.

So we’re going to keep praying it.
(But with different words)

We’re going to welcome in the light:
Demand the light of revival:
For as long as it takes.

And It will almost certainly take longer than this season of Advent.

Our own Advent:
At St. John’s New London:
Our own renewal and revival will not suddenly appear for us on Christmas
morning.

We’ll still rejoice in the birth of the Christ Child:
AND:
we’ll keep praying:
Keep demanding:
A renewal and revival from the Holy Spirit:
Right here in this space.

But for now:

During this Church season designed for expectation:
For waiting:
And for prayer:
We’ll light our Advent wreath every week.

We’ll pray the light in.
We’ll cry “Come Lord Jesus.”

We’ll sing O COME O COME EMANNUEL:
(And we might even sing it so many times that we get tired of it.)

Because we must.
We must demand the light to come over us:
And to drive away all signs of darkness.

Please join me in this season,
And well beyond:
As we wait for our own Advent:
Our own new “Coming into Being.”
Which only God can bring to us.

Amen.

Advent Prayer

Holy and Gracious God,
Maker of all things:
You alone are the source of light and life:
And for that we are supremely grateful.
Send us your light and your truth.
In the name of Jesus:
Dispel the darkness covering us,
Destroy the darkness around us.
Drive out all evil:
And bring us your eternal flame of light.
We cry out for you and your great light.
Come Lord Jesus:
Come heavenly light:
Come celestial brightness.
Renew us.
Enlighten us.
Revive us.
Bring us into being:
And create in us something new:
All in the name of your glorious Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.