Advent 1C

Advent begins tomorrow.  We have four weeks to contemplate the coming of our Lord.  Most years I’ve felt pretty lonely with my Advent musings.  I come from a tradition that doesn’t really implement the readings and prayers that come from our brothers and sisters who have preceded us in the faith.  This year I’m learning to share Advent with others.

I’m beginning to realize that Advent is part of a great twisting interconnected system of time, prayer, scripture, words, tradition, music and longing. Each piece supports and is supported by the others. When I try to explain just one piece, I realize that I can’t really give anyone a complete answer without pulling the rest of it along with it.   

Look at the title of this post:  Advent 1C.  What does that mean? 

Those who follow the Christian calendar are taught by time itself. Year after year, we develop a rhythm that is distinct from the rest of the world.  Advent begins the Christian year by giving us a chance to remember that we and the world need Christ.  Advent is followed by Christmas, when our longings and desires for a world set right are answered by an infant.  Epiphany is next, the great realization that our Savior has arrived, offering every one of us a new life that will continue forever.  This cycle is echoed later in the year by the solemn observance of Lent, followed first by a joyous Easter, then a triumphal Ascension of our Lord and finally the fiery birth of the church at Pentecost.

What about the 1C?  That part refers to the lectionary, which is just a Bible reading plan.  We’ve all used those, right?  At least we started using them with good intentions.  There are various lectionaries, but most of them arrange the reading to reflect the current church season.  There are daily lectionaries, but the 1C comes from the Revised Common Lectionary which provides scripture for Sunday worship.  Each Sunday has four readings:  and Old Testament reading, a Psalm, a New Testament reading (non-gospel) and a Gospel reading.   If you attend a church that uses the lectionary, you will hear most of the Bible read at church in three years.  Not every word, but most of it.  So the lectionary has a 3 year cycle: Year A, Year B and Year C.  This year begins Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary.  The 1 refers to the first Sunday in Advent. So tomorrow is the first Sunday in Advent Year C.  Advent 1C.  Next week will be Advent 2C. 

I know, I know. It seems like a lot and it is.  But if you’re a Christian, it’s a part of your heritage.  You’re certainly free to ignore it, but it’s like family traditions.  We may like them or not.  We may continue them as adults in our own homes or not.  But there they are and they exist for a reason, and the best reason is to bind us together, calling us to gather and remember who we are and pass that identity along to the next generation.  We don’t have to mummify or deify these traditions.  We can appreciate them and learn from them and use them to add meaning to the days, months and years of our lives.