Advent and John the Baptist

The gospel readings during Advent follow a pattern. On the first Sunday, we hear Jesus' teaching on the end times. On the second and third Sundays, we listen to John the Baptist preaching a message of repentance and baptism.  The fourth Sunday gives us the personal stories of Joseph, Mary and Elizabeth before the birth of Jesus.  In Year A, the gospel readings are mostly taken from Matthew, from Mark in Year B and Luke in Year C.

This year we read Luke's account of John the Baptist. He begins with a list of the powerful people of that time: Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate, Herod, Anna and Caiaphas. But to whom did the word of God come?  "...the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert."  Luke's list political and religious leaders places the story of John in particular time and place in history. It also shows us that the word of God does not necessarily come to the powerful, but is just as likely to come to the one who lives in the wilderness.

The third Sunday we find John answering the questions of the people who have been listening to his message. "What then should we do?" He tells the crowds to share food and clothing with the needy.  He instructs tax collectors to only collect the money that is due and soldiers to be satisfied with their wages and stop extorting money from people. God's kingdom is near and John exhorts the people to prepare for it by living up to their social responsibilities. This is the way to "bear fruits worthy of repentance."

Personal Advent Practices

During Advent, we wait and prepare for what is to come. As we in the darkness wait for the coming light, are we preparing to receive and share the peace of Jesus? Maybe it is time to consider new ways to incorporate practices to turn our attention to the coming of Christ to the world. Here are some ways to grow in your walk with Christ this Advent.

1. Expectant Waiting:  Each week find time to journal or reflect on the following questions.

• What new thing is God doing within and around you?
• What do you expect in your own spiritual life?
• How does the season of Advent prepare you to recognize Christ's presence in the world?
• What are you waiting for? Does Advent remind you of the importance of patience in the spiritual journey.

2.  Darkness and Light:  During this time of year, the days are short and the nights long. Spend time in prayer in the darkness, giving thanks for the light that is to come.

3. Relationships: Prayerfully consider if there is a relationship you want to develop, nurture or reconcile this season.

4.  Word a Day:  Each day in December, meditate on a word and what God might be telling you through that word. Paint, draw or create something to represent it. Make up your list of words, or use these:

Wait   Time   Go   Awake   Wisdom   Ready   Delight   Holy   Steady   Hope   Justice   Sparkle   Water
Gather   Rejoice   Strong   Free   Mercy   Patient   Sign   Star   Neighbor   Comfort   Joy   Love

5.  Gratitude Chain:  Make a paper chain.  Each day write one thing you are grateful for and put it on your chain.  On Christmas morning, put your chain on your Christmas tree or hang it in your home.

Happy Advent!

Kairos

Today our prayer is:

Sometimes, I forget, O God, that time is kairos in your hands not mine.  Amen.

What is kairos?  What does it mean that time is kairos in God's hands?

The Greeks had two words for time: chronos and kairos.  Chronos refers to the quantity of time, the passage of minutes, hours, weeks and years. Kairos refers to the quality of time, the right moment. Kairos time is independent of past, present or future and is the time that has ripened, is blooming, or reveals fulfillment.

In our reading today, Jeremiah speaks to the Israelites held captive in Babylon of the coming days when God would fulfill his promise. We wait today for our social, cultural and political woes to resolve. We each wait for the events in our personal life to ripen and bloom.  Advent is the season we take time to remember what it is to wait for the promise that comes in God's time, in kairos.

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.