Watch For the Light: Advent One
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. Luke 21. 25 - 36
In the gospel reading for this Sunday, the first Sunday in Advent Year C, Jesus warns us that there will be signs in the sun, the moon and the stars and on the earth with distress among nations when the Son of Man is coming. The "when" in this prophecy is unknown, but we do know that there have been signs especially in the distress among nations that God's purpose is being worked out and I am convinced that God's people are understanding more and more the message of Love versus Fear. Whether or not the Second Coming is imminent is not as important as how well we affirm the Christian Hope which Jesus's life gave us - "new heavens and a new earth where righteousness is at home."
During the Renaissance, it was generally believed that the natural world clearly reflected the turmoil of man. In fact in Shakespeare's great tragedy Macbeth there is a scene where Ross and an old man discuss the perversions in nature which they fear indicate great trouble in the kingdom. Ross says,
"Thou seest the heavens, as troubled with man’s act," Macbeth act II, sc. 4.
Today is the first day of our liturgical year...Happy New Year! Isn't it a great time to look for, watch for, the Light of Christ as we prepare our hearts and our homes for the yearly remembrance of the birth of the Christ Child, but also for the fulfillment of the prophecy of the "new heaven and the new earth where righteousness is at home." Yes, nature is reacting to the chaos of man and yes, nations are rising up against nations, but as people of God who believe in the fulfillment of God's promises, we must go forward "marked as Christ's own forever" believing in the power of the Holy Spirit and sharing that Good News with the world. Look for the Light, embrace it, share it and live into it.
Join me here during Advent as I share stories and tales about people who have seen the Light and claimed the righteousness!
"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!"