First Sunday of Advent: A New Beginning with Plenty of Problems

Today's Scripture Readings

Jeremiah 33:14-16 (NRSV)

The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 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. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: "The LORD is our righteousness."

Psalm 25:1-9 (BCP., p.614)


1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 (NRSV)
 

How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith.

Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

 

Luke 21:25-36 (NRSV)

Jesus said, "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. Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

Then he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

"Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

Blog Reflection

My Mother passed away last Sunday at 3:25am.  During the last five days of her life, I was able to spend some very precious time with her.  We made peace with each other.  When she died, I was happy for her that she was and is at peace.  It was also a very sad moment for me.  The woman who had given birth to me, nurtured me and helped me all her life had died at least physically.  One of the things I found myself saying to her after she passed, was that all of the times she called and I felt like she was disturbing me; I wanted her to disturb me one more time. I can no longer call to ask her advice.  I now have to rely on God and those who love me to help me at those moments when I might have asked my Mother to help me.  You might say that when my Mom's earthly pilgrimage ended, her new life with God began.  My own life, however, has been changed forever.

The First Sunday of Advent is the moment when the former Liturgical Calendar Year ends, and a new one begins.  Yet, what makes it seem like an extension of the former year, is that the new year begins with Scripture readings that continue the theme of awaiting the second coming.  The most recognizable difference is that we are now reading from the Gospel of Luke. 

Every year on the First Sunday of Advent, we hear from the Gospel to be alert, stay awake for the hour is drawing near.  We are told to stay alert because new things are coming.  A transformation that will impact everyone's lives in a way that we could not have imagined.  It symbolizes a new beginning.  Yet, with every new beginning, the problems that have been with us before are just as relevant in the here and now.

We have heard many horrible accounts of what happened in Paris.  We have also been reading of how many Governors of any number of states saying that they will not receive refugees from Syria.  Among the reasons is that they suspect that the refugees are part of a radical group of Islamic terrorists.  Just this week, while we are pausing to give thanks, a gunman opened fire by a Planned Parenthood clinic in Denver, Colorado.  These and many more incidents tell us that while our world is advancing, many of the problems that humankind and even the Church has endured, are still happening today.  There may be different groups of people, with many scapegoats among them.  But, the attitudes of prejudice and supporting oppression of the weak, the lonely and those who are already affected by life's worst woes, are all there.  Until or unless we put our trust in God and open our hearts to allowing the Holy Spirit to do new things in our lives; we will continue to dwell in the grotesque mud in which we are living.

On this First Sunday of Advent, Jesus promises us the opportunity to see Him in His great power and glory.  We are offered a vision of Jesus in a state of pouring the Grace of God into all humankind through a new heaven and a new earth.  A state of existence in which there is only the love, peace and hope that comes from God alone.  It comes with a willingness to let go of our past and embrace God's Grace in the here and now, as we await the promise of God in the future.

We begin Advent with a reflection of hope.  The hope that leads us to a newness of life.  A way of life that is not weighed down by all the things we carry in ourselves and our many relationships.

'Lord, show us your love and mercy.
For we put our trust in you.
In you, Lord, is our hope;
And we shall never hope in vain.'

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of
darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of
this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit
us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come
again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the
dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
for ever. Amen.  (Collect for the First Sunday of Advent.  The Book of Common Prayer, p. 211).

At this time, I wish to announce to my readers that next year on the Feast of Christ the King, November  20th, 2016 I will be posting my final reflection for this blog.  I have enjoyed writing this blog year after year, week after week since I began this project in 2009.  Since then, the Church and all of us have traveled together through some amazing moments at which God's Grace became very tangible.   It has been my privilege and honor to write these blog posts and share them with those who have been reading them.  However, the time is coming for me to spend time on my other blog, Simple Reflections for a Deeper Spiritual Life.  I also need to devote my time to my husband, and my formation.  After my final reflection on here, the blog will still remain active so that readers can enjoy all of the blog posts here.  However, there will be no more new reflection entries.  Until then, continue to enjoy the new blog entries.  Let us pray with and for each other.  Peace be with you all.

First Sunday of Advent: Wait! Who Turned Off the Lights?

Today's Scripture Readings



Isaiah 64:1-9 (NRSV)

O that you would tear open the heavens and come down,

so that the mountains would quake at your presence--

as when fire kindles brushwood

and the fire causes water to boil--

to make your name known to your adversaries,

so that the nations might tremble at your presence!

When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect,

you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.

From ages past no one has heard,

no ear has perceived,

no eye has seen any God besides you,

who works for those who wait for him.

You meet those who gladly do right,

those who remember you in your ways.

But you were angry, and we sinned;

because you hid yourself we transgressed.

We have all become like one who is unclean,

and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth.

We all fade like a leaf,

and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

There is no one who calls on your name,

or attempts to take hold of you;

for you have hidden your face from us,

and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.

Yet, O LORD, you are our Father;

we are the clay, and you are our potter;

we are all the work of your hand.

Do not be exceedingly angry, O LORD,

and do not remember iniquity forever.

Now consider, we are all your people.

Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18 (BCP., p.702)


1 Corinthians 1:3-9 (NRSV)

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind-- just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you-- so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Mark 13:24-37 (NRSV)

Jesus said to his disciples, "In those days, after that suffering,

the sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light,

and the stars will be falling from heaven,

and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

Then they will see `the Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

"From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

"But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake-- for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake."

Blog Reflection

Every year when we begin Advent right after Thanksgiving, all of the Christmas lights are going up on the houses, the Christmas trees are going up and all the malls are crowded with people buying gifts.  The stores have been playing holiday muzak and the Hallmark Channel started their annual buffet of assorted cheesy holiday shows on November 1st.  Here we are on the First Sunday of Advent with these readings that seem to be so depressingly dark.  "Who turned off the lights?"  This is one of the questions asked by the Center for Excellence in Preaching at Calvin Theological Seminary's reflection on today's reading from Mark's Gospel.   

This past week had a very dark beginning.  When the news that the Grand Jury in Ferguson, MO would not indict Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown became public, the riots began and all of the news commentators began their usual round of analytical arguments.  What troubles me about what followed the announcement, is that the issue of racism which needs to be addressed, and the issue of police militarization which is also something that must be dealt with get lost in the shouting and looting.  No more is it about a young man like Michael Brown who's memory is being tainted because of his race, while the issue of racism once again implodes only to be buried before any resolution can be pursued.  The violence, the prejudice and the injustice which all needs healing and reconciliation; cannot be discussed in an adult manner, because they are crowded out by all the speculations and politics.   The lights have gone out.  

The writer of Isaiah is wanting God to come and do the mighty things God is known of doing.  The history of the People of Israel witnessed God doing mighty things.  As if someone clicked the rewind button, Israel was again in a time of chaos.  Their society was falling apart.  People who previously looked to the Lord their God, were struggling and drowning in doubt that God could even help them anymore.  They wanted God to come and rock the place again.  They wanted God to come and mold them like clay.  Yet, to be molded and remolded, they had to take the first step towards a new way of being the People of God.   It would not come without them sacrificing something to experience the conversion of their society.

I think events like what has happened with the Michael Brown killing and President Obama's executive action on Immigration are shaking our societies' apathy.  We all like to stay in our homes and watch these things happen; but, please don't ask us to step outside or speak up on behalf of those less fortunate than ourselves.   Please don't make us admit that racism, sexism and heterosexism are still problems to be dealt with.  We are enjoying our holiday music, wine and delicious food.  The fact is, the only way we are going to address problems of injustice and violence is by refusing to sit on our tushes and become God's prophetic witnesses for compassion and cultural change.   If we want the lights of our holiday season to really mean something this year, we need to stop pretending that what is outside in our own neighborhoods isn't there; and become participants for the transformation of the Church and society for the good of all people; and the honor and glory of God.

During this Season of Advent we are waiting and watching in prayerful expectation of the coming of Christ.   In our preparation to recall the first coming of Christ at the Nativity, we are also remembering that Christ will come again.  This time of preparation means that we listen to Jesus in today's reading from Mark.  This reading is believed to have been written after the destruction of the temple.   Mark writes about Jesus as the Messiah.   Mark makes the connection of who Jesus was (and is) with the events that took place when the Romans leveled not only the Temple, but the whole city of Jerusalem.   It might as well have been an apocalypse.  What Jesus is saying here is that even though it may be very dark times through which He may come again, the truth is that Jesus will come and bring with Him a new era.   Only God knows when Jesus will return.  Therefore, we are to spend some time in silence, pray a lot, and go do the work God gives us now.

One of the many points about Advent that we will most likely never hear from the pulpits of our churches this Season, is that the meaning of Advent has among many of its origins, its character from the Benedictine Office of Vigils and/or Matins.   It is the during the Night Office that Benedictines (and other similar Monastic communities) anticipate the return of the Lord in a prayerful watch.   Such is why as part of Compline the night before we pray those famous words of St. Augustine of Hippo in the antiphon to The Song of Simeon (the Nunc Dimittis).     

Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping; that awake
we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace. (The Book of Common Prayer, pages 135,135).

Though the night is full of darkness, as is our society and even the Church that is so full of corruption, prejudice and disorder; the Light of Christ in the prayer of the Church that is the Psalms in the Daily Offices; which are the extension of the Eucharistic Liturgy helps us unite our prayers with Christ's prayers.  Our questioning of our faith as we wonder what God is up to while we are confronted by the real world in which we live; finds our groaning to be that of Christ as He longs to come to us to bring the healing and peace our world so desperately needs.   Yet, through the prayers of the Church, all of us answer the call of Christ through faith to live into our Baptismal Covenant. By answering this call, are already doing the ora et labora (praying and working) of making the Kingdom of God an ever present reality in the here and now.

As we continue through our Advent experience, let us ask ourselves who turned out the lights.  Let us also spend some time in silent and watchful prayer, and be ready to help Christ to shine His Light of God's unconditional and all-inclusive love in our world.  May that Light of Christ grow from dim to bright so that relationships which are broken may be mended, all violence and discrimination cease to exist and the truth of God may permeate the lives of all people equally.   

Amen.


Prayers
 

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of
darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of
this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit
us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come
again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the
dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
for ever. Amen. (Collect for the First Sunday of Advent. The Book of Common Prayer, p.211).

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for the Human Family.  The Book of Common Prayer, p.815).

Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn
but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the
strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that
all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of
Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and
glory, now and for ever. Amen.  (Prayer for Peace.  The Book of Common Prayer, p.815).

First Sunday of Advent: Stay Awake, Prayerfully Discern, Actively Wait.

Today's Scripture Readings

Isaiah 2:1-5 (NRSV)

The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come
the mountain of the LORD's house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
Many peoples shall come and say,
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths."
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.
O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the LORD!

Psalm 122 (BCP., p.779).

Romans 13:11-14 (NRSV)

You know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Matthew 24:36-44 (NRSV)

Jesus said to the disciples, "But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."

 
Blog Reflection

In our fast paced society of IPhones, super fast internet speeds and quick fix meals; the idea of waiting for anything seems like ancient history.  Think of the days when if you were so unfortunate to have a break down in your automobile and found yourself in the breakdown lane of a highway, if you didn't have access to a pay phone, you could be there a long time.  Thanks to the miracle of the cell phone, IPhone and now the IPad, it is very possible to call for help right where you are and someone will find you.  As a result, our waiting is very passive.  We expect something to happen without us having to do too much.

I have come across a really great book entitled Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas.  It is a collection of writings each with their respective dates.  Each date has a reading from a different author.   This past Thanksgiving Day, November 28th I found a very intriguing reading by Henri Nouwen entitled: Waiting for God.   In the reading he talks about the waiting of Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Simeon and Anna.  Each of these had a very personal encounter with God concerning the coming of Christ.  Nouwen says that they each had an experience of God and received a message that sounded a lot like this.  "Do not be afraid.  I have something good to say to you."  Nouwen reminds us that we read about waiting for the Lord to act in the Psalms.   Psalm 130:5-7 reads "My soul is waiting for the Lord, more than watchmen for the morning.  More than watchmen for the morning."   The kind of waiting we learn from this Psalm, the key Biblical characters I have named, and even in our Gospel today are invited along with us, to spend some time in active waiting that anticipates something amazingly wonderful from God.

During this time of Advent we are told to stay awake, and be at work at the things God has called us to do.  Advent is a period of prayerful discernment as we actively wait for the return of Christ at the end of time, as we are preparing to celebrate His first coming at Christmas.  St. Paul urges us to recognize this as the time to wake up, and pursue those works that lead us and others closer to God and to avoid those that are part of the age of darkness and despair.

In many ways, the discernment I am going through with the Companions of St. Luke/Order of St. Benedict as a Novice is an Advent.  It is a time of prayerfully waiting for God's will to be revealed in the here and now to help me know whether or not becoming a Benedictine Vowed Member of the Community is the right thing to do.   I am not going to receive that answer in the same way I can order a cheeseburger at a drive through and get it in the next ten minutes.  No.   This prayerful discernment means following the instructions of my Formation Master, praying the Offices, doing Lectio Divina, getting better acquainted with the Community, and learning to be obedient to our Abbot.   As they provide me with excellent and sometimes difficult feedback, they too are an important part of God's call on my life.   They are part of the prayerful discernment of God's will for both the Community and myself.

As we begin this new Liturgical Year in which we are told to stay awake, prayerfully discern and actively wait for the coming of Christ, we are told to be busy doing the work that we have before us.   We must continue to be a voice for the greater inclusion and equality of all marginalized persons including LGBTQ people in the Church and society.   We are preparing a place for Christ to come among us and find us at work for His honor and glory.  By listening to the Holy Spirit this Advent, we will be able to hear Jesus call us to work together to relieve the poor, hungry, thirsty, the injured, the hopeless and the oppressed.  We can be actively waiting for the coming of Christ, by helping others to prayerfully discern how our attitudes and actions suggest that we are concerned about others who are different than ourselves, or are we just as biased as anyone else, and quite frankly, much too pleased with ourselves being there.

Stay awake!  Be attentive to the needs of people around us who are victims of injustice and prejudice.

Prayerfully discern what is our role in making the Church and society a better place to receive Christ at His coming both at Christmas and at the end of time.

Actively wait!  Do not just sit there and fall asleep in the easy chair and act like there is nothing we can do. 

Be willing to write a letter to our Congressional leaders about why we must approve unemployment benefits by the beginning of the new calender year.

Tell others around us why we should have required background checks and limit the sale of dangerous military style weapons.  

We should actively listen to what is happening to people who live with some kind of mental illness, and stress the importance of a better health care system that addresses their needs with those who have been elected to decide our laws.  

We should celebrate those States, and support others that are passing the freedom to marry for all people including LGBT people.

On this World AIDS Day, we can remember those who have died from the disease over these many years, and celebrate the milestones we have come in terms of research, awareness and education.  However, we must also recommit ourselves to doing more to helping others prevent this disease and to end the negative stereotyping of people who live with HIV/AIDS both within the LGBTQ communities and beyond.   We must ask those we have elected for better funds for health care, comprehensive sex education, and more research for a cure.  


 
To call for an ending to racism, sexism and religious based discrimination of all kinds.

We should do our part to address the inequality of our immigration laws and economic inequality.

We can and must do our part to address our poor stewardship of the resources of this planet, and do something about climate change.

These and many more causes and issues can be part of our Advent and Christmas story. 

As we await the coming of Christ, let us stay awake and prayerfully discern how God is calling each of us to the work of God's mercy that prepares a place for Christ in all of us.

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of
darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of
this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit
us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come
again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the
dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
for ever. Amen.  (Book of Common Prayer, p.211).


Gracious Father, we pray for thy holy Catholic Church. Fill it
with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt,
purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is
amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in
want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake
of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior. Amen.  (Prayer for the Church, Book of Common Prayer, p.816)


Almighty God, who created us in your image: Grant us
grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace
with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom,
help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our
communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy
Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Prayer for Social Justice, Book of Common Prayer, p.260).

First Sunday of Advent: Keep Alert: God is Seeking Us in the Work of Equality for All

Today's Scripture Readings

Mark 13:24-37 (NRSV)

Jesus said to his disciples, "In those days, after that suffering,

the sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light,

and the stars will be falling from heaven,

and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

Then they will see `the Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

"From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."

But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake-- for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake."

Blog Reflection

This past Thanksgiving Day I read a terrific reflection on Mark 6:6.  It is the story of Jesus preaching in the synagogue in his own home town of Nazareth.  Upon hearing Jesus' words the people standing around remark: "Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses?"  In the reflection I read this past Thursday was the following:

"Exploring God's wisdom in whatever sort of clothing it comes to you requires faith and humility.  Pray for both of these virtues."  (Bible Day by Day, Catholic Publishing Company, page 173).

As we begin the new Liturgical Year with this First Sunday of Advent, we are told by Jesus to beware and keep alert.   What is it we are keeping alert for? 

The Rev. Dr. Joseph S. Pagano suggests that Jesus is telling us to be watching for God, because God is the only real something or someone that can truly give us fulfillment.

We are all searching for something or someone. Not just the small things, like our house keys or a parking space, but also bigger things, deeper things, people, places, and relationships that we hope will fulfill us, bring us joy, grant us peace. Many people are searching for a job, but also more than a job, for the sense of purpose and value and security the hoped-for job will bring. Many people are searching for wisdom, but also more than just an education, for the sense of truth and goodness and direction that we hope real wisdom will bring. Many people are searching for relationships, but also more than Mr. or Mrs. Right, for the sense of fulfillment and flourishing we hope loving and being loved will bring. We are all searching for something or someone.

But experience teaches us that that something or someone is elusive. We photograph the perfect sunset, but when we look at the pictures later, it looks rather ordinary. The excitement of a new career settles into the humdrum of a job. The first flush of a new relationship turns into coordinating schedules and dates. Even when we find what we think we are looking for, we may find the experience quite exquisite but also leaving us unsatisfied.

That is why spiritual writers tell us that what we are all searching for, whether we realize it or not, is God. The longed-for thing or person who will ultimately fulfill us, bring us joy, and grant us peace is God. Everything else, even the exquisitely true and good and beautiful things of this life, will leave us unsatisfied at some level. Life is transient, and we continue our search for true fulfillment and flourishing and love.

The New American Bible uses the words: "Be watchful. Be alert" in place of "Beware keep alert."


Living Liturgy: Spirituality, Celebration and Catechesis for 2012 provides the following reflection.

Jesus' admonition "Be watchful! Be alert!" was spoken to hearers holding heightened expectation that the Messiah was about to come to restore Israel to its former power, wealth and glory.  However, in this case, rather than opening them to new possibilities, the expectation Jesus' hearers narrowed their vision.  Their limited expectations prevented them from recognizing Jesus as the Messiah already among them.  Jesus was just not the one they were expecting.  After all, none of us looks to a carpenter if we are expecting a Messiah.  Or do we?


If we expect Christ's presence, we will find it because God is always present to us. "God is faithful" (second reading: 1 Corinthians 1: 3 -9).  From the beginning of time God has wrought "awesome deeds we could not hope for" (First Reading: Isaiah 64: 1-9, in this reflection, Isaiah 63: 16b-17, 19b are included).  God has "enriched [us] in every way" and assured us that we "are not lacking in any spiritual gift" (second reading).  One challenge of being watchful and alert is that we open our eyes to the simple, everyday ways God is present to us with gifts we cannot even imagine.  An attitude of watchfulness and alertness increases our expectation so that we are far more able to recognize God's presence in the goodness people and events reveal. (Living Liturgy is published by Liturgical Press, this quote is found on page 2).

Our Advent season is a time to be on the lookout for God.  Advent is about remembering that Christ who came once in history, and comes to use spiritually and in the Sacraments, will also come in glory. 


The Rev. Dr. Pegano again gives us some valuable insight.

The story of Advent is not a story of a God waiting to see if we human beings will finally figure it out and find God. The story of Advent is that God comes to us, and better yet, that God has already found us. We may feel like we are always looking for something or someone, but the Good News of Advent is that God has already come to us, is coming to us, and will keep coming to us.

Our problem even in this 21st Century is that Christians continue to look for God is to be ready to receive God as God actually is.

As we are seeing in the Occupy movement, God is not all in all among those who are considered as part of the 1%.  Wealth, political power and prestige are not a sign of superiority when it comes to finding God.  God seeks us out so that we will seek God in those people and places where humankind least expects to encounter God.

God is among the poor and the economically oppressed.

God is present and weeping as the students at UC Davis were being pepper sprayed.

Somehow God is speaking to all of us through the stories of individuals who are deliberately violated such as the 19 year old woman in Seattle who while pregnant, was beaten in the stomach and pepper sprayed to the point that she miscarried.  Yet, while God is there, the so called "pro-life" movement remains silent.  

An Evangelical Mom who held the belief that one could not be gay and Christian at the same time, suddenly changed her heart and mind because she became close friends of a lesbian fellow hiker.  The lesbian friend told her stories to the Bible believing mother.  This incredible woman named Kathy Baldock is now a witness to the Gospel of how the Holy Spirit can change our hearts to be a faithful apostle in the work of healing the wounds between Christians and LGBT people.  

God is searching for us in the work of equality for all of God's people.  This Advent is an opportunity for all of us to be open to encountering the living God who revealed God's Self in Jesus Christ on that first Christmas morning.   We can meet God not only on Christmas Day, but every day and every moment. 

Fr. Albert Holtz, OSB wrote in his book From Holidays to Holy Days; A Benedictine Walk through Advent:

For a Christian, life is made up of unique moments, each one a kairos (time or season), an opportunity that will never come again.  Every task we start, every decision we make, whether trivial or great, is a special time, a chance to build up the kingdom.  Every encounter with another person is a unique kairos, a season for loving. 9Pages 5 & 6).

The questions that might want to ask ourselves includes, are we prepared to accept Christ coming to us as he actually is, or do we have expectations as to who and how Christ will be when he appears to us?  

When Jesus comes to us in that someone who is different than how we think a person or people should be, do we welcome Jesus or are we just a little bit suspicious by how Christ present in someone who dresses, behaves, reasons and loves in a unique way? 

Are we prepared to do something for Jesus who seeks us out to feed him and welcome him in the stranger, the homosexual, the lesbian, bisexual and transgender without expecting Jesus to be any different or to become something or someone that Jesus is not?

Advent is a great time to explore these and other questions as God searches for us, while we are aware and watching for God to reveal God's Self to us.


Prayers

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for the First Sunday of Advent, Book of Common Prayer, page 211).


Gracious Father, we pray for your holy Catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ your Son our Savior. Amen. (Prayer for the Church, Book of Common Prayer, page 816)

Almighty God, who created us in your own image: Grant us grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom, help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Prayer for Social Justice, Book of Common Prayer, page 260).

First Sunday of Advent: We Begin Again.

In Vicki K. Black's book: Welcome to the Church Year: An Introduction to the Seasons of The Episcopal Church, she writes:

It is important to remember that Advent is not just a season in which we recall an event of the past--Jesus' birth--but also a time in which we look to the present and the future.  When will Jesus come again?  When will the kingdom of God on earth, as it is in heaven? Of course no one knows.  And so the more important questions are: What can we do as the church, more important questions are: What can we do as the church, Christ's body here on earth, to bring about God's reign of justice and peace today?  What can we do as individuals to reorder our lives, in the light of God's love?  What would it mean to live as a people who believe in Jesus as the savior of all the earth and who expect him to come again at the fulfillment of time? Each Advent we turn to these questions anew.

It is easy to sentimentalize Advent and Christmas by focusing so much on the coming birth of the baby Jesus that we lose sight of why he came--to save a lost, sinful, and beloved people; to restore a broken world; to conquer death and raise all the creation to new life in God.  We love anticipating happy events, and most of us would rather think about the birth of a baby than about restoring the world.  Yet, the Gospel loses its power and meaning when we gloss over the reality of darkness in our world. (Page 16).

The important thing to consider during Advent is that the restoration of God's reign on earth is a work that all of us are called and empowered to be a part of.  God's merciful and gracious love has gifted all of us to take part in bringing God's reign of justice into this world.  Advent is the opportunity to begin again as it is the start of a new Church Year.  In the midst of all the hustle and bustle that began two weeks ago as radio stations already started playing Christmas music and stores advertised their black Friday sales to make corporate profits even bigger, yet, is the story of real people who are hungry, naked, oppressed, victims of spiritual, political and social violence.   Within their stories are challenges for Christians to find their places in those stories so that we can be about the work of establishing God's reign. 

In the first reading from Isaiah 2: 1-5 God promises through the Prophet to establish God's mountain from which God will teach God's people God's ways and judge the earth.  As Christians one of our greatest mistakes has been putting off doing justice thinking that another time or person will come along to take care of things.  But the reality is, God has placed each of us in the here and now.  To respond to the evils of our time such as political and social corruption.  As people of different races, religions, sexual orientations, genders, gender expressions/identities, cultural backgrounds, abilities, languages etc continue to face persecution and oppression, the Church has been given the awesome task of raising our voices on behalf of those who are oppressed.   Much of the oppression that many experience is because of the Church and many of the mistakes we have made over the centuries.  Biblical literalism, colonization and cultural suppression are just a few examples of how the Christian Church has misrepresented Christ and the Church.   In this year of 2010 and 2011 the Holy Spirit has been calling the Church to a new understanding of sexual and gender diversity.  So that God's mountain of justice for all peoples can be established.

The Christian Church should be proclaiming the Gospel of inclusion and justice so that all may say with the Psalmist: "I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord." (Psalm 122:1).  Instead many in the Church through political organizations such as the Family Research Council, the American Family Association, the National Organization for Marriage which have been profiled as hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), to suppress and oppress any person or religious group that does not think or operate as they do.   When Christians erroneously help others paint a picture of God as an unjust and angry psycho path by telling LGBTQ people that our sexual and gender diversity is "sick" or "disordered" it sends out the message that the house of the Lord is a terrible place to go.   Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer individuals whether Christ followers or not at least in name, but in practice are really great at extending hospitality.  LGBTQ people have the ability to tell our stories so that the ignorant messages of hate by Christianist and arch-conservative Catholic/Anglican and Episcopal groups are rendered groundless.  We can tip the scales of ignorance and prejudice and help God transform hearts and minds.  

In Paul's letter to the Romans 14: 11-14 we are challenged and invited to see the urgency of creating a world of justice and inclusion here and now.  The time of Jesus Christ's second coming may not have happened yet, but Christ did come and showed us through his example how we can help establish the reign of God here and now.  When we welcome the stranger, hold out a hand to help the broken hearted, bring reconciliation where there was once misunderstanding and disorientation, we help God's presence to be real and powerful.   Some of Paul's exhortations against having a good time, might seem a little extreme.  I do not believe Paul is talking to or about those who do things with a genuine sense of moderation.  We are all asked to be considerate of others by not becoming a people who have no personal self-control.  While loving another or even others sexually and physically with a sense of love and respect of others as people and not objects is good and holy, the use of other people for our own selfish desires is not.  It is important to maintain a level of self respect and a healthy respect for others.

The Gospel reading from Matthew 24: 36-44 sounds as if Jesus is preparing the disciples for dooms day.  There are many Biblical scholars who would suggest that Jesus is not talking so much about the end times as much as he is referring to the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by Pontious Pilate and the Roman Empire.  For those who lived there, it was the end of the world.   Nevertheless Jesus tells those who are listening: "But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father".  This is why I tend to shake my head and ignore those who suggest that the impending wars in the world are a sign that the end times are near.  Many Christianists suggest that when LGBTQ equal rights are granted in America and/or in other European countries, Christ will return to punish the nations with God's fury.   The problem with such nonsense is that it is just that nonsense.  Such words are spoken to promote a world and Church of fear so as to justify the worst kind of violence and hatred.  What Jesus is promoting through his words here is to prepare for the return of Christ by helping to establish peach and justice in our world of today, here and now.   Advent reminds us that we do not know exactly when Christ will return, but we do know that we can be doing so much to help make God's reign on earth a reality as we promote a Church and society that welcomes all people with radical hospitality and seeks reconciliation.   This is why Christians and all people of good will need to reject the hate messages from Christianists and arch-conservative Catholics/Anglicans and Episcopalians.  When such groups of people work over time to suggest that "God hates" any group of people the Church and society is in real trouble.  When we use the Name of Jesus Christ and/or our names as Christians to scapegoat people, we are not promoting the reign of Christ on earth.  When Christians promote hate, we make hell a living reality for way too many people. 

As we begin again in this Season of Advent, let us remember that we all have work to do.  Making the Church and society more inclusive and a place for justice and peace for all people is what preparing for the reign of Christ on earth is all about.  Let us take that mission seriously and do our part to make the reign of God's peace, justice, inclusion and love the best news that came from Christmas Day we will celebrate.

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for the First Sunday of Advent, Book of Common Prayer, page 211).

Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of us may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of this land; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Oppressed, Book of Common Prayer, page 826).

Holy One, we are an Advent people,
        those who are called to struggle for
        a new and transformed world for all your creation.
    Help us to claim this Advent season as
        a renewed commitment to bring your realm into being
        on behalf of all those who are waiting and hoping for justice and
        liberation.
        Help us take on the mantle of courage as we face into all the places
        where we are complicit in the world's suffering,
        so that our true repentance might help turn our world around. 
    Help us take on the mantle of justice making in this moment and time,
         for this is truly revolutionary patience.
    Amen. (Prayerfully Out in Scripture.)
 

First Sunday of Advent: Be On Guard That Your Hearts Will Not Be Weighed Down

The readings for the First Sunday of Advent tend to sound like doom and gloom. They don't sound very happy and they don't sound like the joyful preparation for Christmas that we are hearing in the shopping malls. The Human Rights Campaigns Weekly Commentary on the Sunday Scriptures for today's Gospel of Luke says: "Luke 21:25-36 can be a difficult text to understand, especially during what is supposed to be a joyous time. We prepare to celebrate the coming of Jesus at Christmas, but this passage addresses the end of the age. Jesus tells his disciples that the time will come when people “will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Luke 21:26). The interesting twist is that although this would appear to be a text of doom and gloom, it is in truth the opposite. This period of chaotic change, when entire populations will be confused “by the roaring of the sea and the waves,” is just the birth pangs of a new age of justice (Luke 21:25)."

When Jesus is speaking about all the things that will be destroyed he is actually talking about the destruction of Jerusalem that will eventually follow when the Roman Empire will invoke massive destruction. It was a difficult time, because of the oppression with which Israel lived because of Rome. Jesus was telling them that there will be a time when destruction and distress will come, and they come to all of us. Imagine the distress that will come to the LGBT citizens of Uganda if their Parliament passes the anti-homosexuality bill. I bet many of them are feeling the fear that Jesus speaks about in today's Gospel. Nevertheless, even amidst all the destruction that can and does occur in this world, there is no situation too big for God through which God cannot impact our lives and the world. When old walls are ripped apart, it can take many years, but new ways of thinking do emerge and a new understanding becomes the tale of the land.

I think this could very much be applied to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered communities during this Advent Season. As we prepare to remember the thousands of people who have been affected and died of AIDS on World AIDS Day on Tuesday, December 1st, we have an opportunity to tear down the walls that ignore people with HIV/AIDS and build a new civilization that recognizes people who live with HIV/AIDS without shame and guilt. The Episcopal Church's Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori made a Statement on World AIDS Day. Presiding Bishop Schori said the following: "December 1 each year is World AIDS Day, an occasion both to remember the 25 million beloved children of God who have lost their lives to the pandemic over the past three decades, and to rededicate ourselves to building a future without AIDS. This year, new challenges both at home and abroad remind us again of the costly work that remains in the world's fight to eradicate AIDS.

In poorer countries around the world, stemming the spread of HIV/AIDS has proven the most difficult of the eight Millennium Development Goals and the one that threatens to undermine progress toward all the others. More than 33 million people continue to live with HIV/AIDS around the world, and nearly three million are newly infected each year. The global economic crisis has made matters worse, pushing as many as 100 million more people below the poverty line. Their futures are more at risk than ever, yet their interests have rarely been considered in wealthier nations' political conversations about the economic crisis."

As discussions about HIV/AIDS as well as the conversations about the ending of civil and religious oppression for LGBT continues it is important to be thinking about preparing for the coming of Christ on earth by calling people to a new attitude, way of thinking and talking. It is an opportunity to be active in changing the way our nation thinks about the issue of health care for people who do not have medical coverage when they really need it. Advent gives us an opportunity to speak back to people like Lawyer Harry C. Arthur"in downtown Houston whose office is near Christ Church Cathedral,and is suing in pursuit of shutting down The Beacon, the cathedral's well-used program for area homeless." As we prepare for the coming of Christ we can become people who do not turn the other way when things like this are happening, we can become a voice for those who have no voice and help build the Kingdom of God here on earth.

In order to understand how we can play our part in doing away with the darkness of our times, we need to understand that we cannot do it alone. Vicki Black in the Episcopal Cafe wrote: “Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light. . . .”

The year begins with a bleak, eerie prayer, uttered in the darkness. The darkness terrifies us. It is no ordinary darkness. The scientists speak of a darkness that has no form or movement or will because it has no existence; it is neither good nor bad because it is nothing at all, the mere absence of light. But this is not the darkness of the scientists. This is a different kind of darkness, an energetic, aggressive malevolence seeking to envelop and consume us. In this darkness the seeds of self-will sprout and grow; they strangle what is left of our health. Cut off from light, we grow accustomed to the darkness; damp, stale air fills our lungs. We have stopped resisting the darkness. Perhaps it is normal, inevitable. Perhaps it is simply the way things are.

But God, I know that it need not be so. The darkness has not yet claimed every corner, and I can still dream of a different place and time. We all dream of it. We dream of a garden where we walk with you in the light of day, of a time of contentment with you and all your creatures. The dream is distant but clear. We long for it, as for a blessing remembered from long ago, from before we had succumbed to the works of darkness.

We would cast away the works of darkness, O God, but we lack the strength. And so we pray to you: “Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light.” We are helpless; the power to cast away the works of darkness must come from outside ourselves. It must come from you, O God. We beg for your grace, the power that you give to cast away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. That is what we pray for, O God—grace to begin again.

From A Gracious Rain: A Devotional Commentary on the Prayers of the Church Year by Richard H. Schmidt. Copyright © 2008. Used by permission of Morehouse Publishing, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. www.morehousepublishing.com."

This First Sunday of Advent also marks the beginning of a new Liturgical Year in the Church. And to help celebrate this year Episcopal Bishop Thomas Shaw of Massachusetts, has opened the way for those Episcopal Priests in Massachusetts to the "Solemnization, in accordance with Massachusetts law, includes hearing the declaration of consent, pronouncing the marriage and signing the marriage certificate. This provision for generous pastoral response is an allowance,," in keeping with resolution C056from the General Convention of the Episcopal Church this past summer. Such a decision has been "tearing down the walls" of injustice in many places, and for many it has been a "tearing down" of walls that have become all too familiar to replacing them with walls that make room for LGBT people to receive the blessing of the Church and the State upon their relationship. Creating a new world of justice and inclusion is one way that we prepare for the coming of Christ.

In the Human Rights Campaigns Scriptural Commentary for the First Sunday of Advent we also read: "Jeremiah 33:14-16 makes this point (The point made in Luke 21: 25 to 36) most clearly. The prophet tells us that God has promised us that one day we will live in a land where justice and righteousness reign. Instead of being in despair because of the rapid and often confusing changes that are occurring around us, Jesus tells us, “Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28). Changes, especially huge social ones, are often difficult for us to accept. At other times, those who press for such changes are met with fierce resistance. The gospel tells us, however, that such change is to be welcomed as preparation for the new age that will be ushered in by Jesus Christ."

How are we playing the role of preparing the world for the changes that Jesus Christ brings? How are we calling the world around us to a new way of justice and inclusion for people who are considered "different"? How are we communicating God's justice to people who are not accepting the call to change? In what ways do we need to tear down walls within our own relationships, homes, jobs, governments and communities? How are we preparing the world around us for the coming of Christ? Are we trusting in God to help us or are we trying to do it all ourselves? What places do we need God to heal this Advent Season, so that the Christ's coming can be a coming of peace and love and justice in our own lives? Who do we need to be the presence of God for in our home, town, society, family or community? What walls in our communities or lives need to torn down, so that God can use us to build new cities and ways of thinking?

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in teh last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, Collect for the First Sunday of Advent, Page 211).