FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT
2 DECEMBER 2018
At
Thanksgiving, I spent time with my family in downstate Illinois. My nephew, Adam, was there with his wife and
two children. Declan is three years old,
and Zoey is five. Lately, Zoey has been
interested in the family weddings she had attended. So, she asked, “Uncle Bill, will you do my
wedding when I grow up?” Before I could
reply, her father blurted out, “no, Zoey, he will be dead by that time!”
After my
initial shock at his blunt response, I had to laugh! To be honest, this is what
the Season of Advent tries to teach us.
We think of Advent as a time of preparation for Christmas. And that is true, because we prepare to celebrate
Christ’s first coming. But, Advent also
teaches us how to prepare for Christ’s coming, not only at the end of time, but
also at the end of our mortal lives.
That is why darkness is so much a part of Advent. For us, this is the darkest time of the year,
with the permanent clouds of lake effect snow making it worse. We don’t have to look far to encounter the
other kind of darkness: the darkness of
natural disasters, the darkness of a country and Church sharply divided, the
darkness of pain in our families, and the darkness that comes from our
disturbing habit of continuing to sin with our bad choices.
Advent is
in conflict with our culture’s “holiday season,” which is in full swing by
now. The holiday season tries to
distract us with lights and sounds and parties.
Today’s Gospel sets the tone for Advent, because Jesus invites us to
face the darkness when he returns again at the end of time. Jesus uses the image of the sun, the moon,
and the stars as a metaphor. Ancient
mariners and travelers used the sun, the moon, and the stars as fixed points of
navigation. They depended on these
heavenly bodies to find their way. When
the end comes either in our individual lives or at the end of the world, we can
no longer use our accustomed fixed points to navigate our way. They are gone.
Advent is
not intended to make us morbid, fearful, or paranoid. Advent focuses on the darkness of our world
and the darkness of our lives from the perspective of hope. The prophet Jeremiah expresses hope to a
people devastated by the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. He assures them that God will be faithful to
the promise made to King David and will return his people to their
homeland. Jesus gives hope when he tells
us to stand erect and raise our heads.
We can
stand erect and raise our heads, because we are disciples of Jesus Christ. If we are authentic disciples, then Jesus has
become our fixed point. As he becomes
our fixed point for navigating our lives, then the other fixed points of our
lives must be adjusted. Making enough
money to raise a family and live a comfortable life is not a bad thing. Nor is the desire to be well liked or have a
good repetition inherently bad. However,
these fixed points must give way to the fixed point of Jesus Christ in our
lives to allow us to stand erect and raise our heads.
No amount
of darkness can rob us of our relationship with Jesus Christ as the fixed point
in our lives. Advent challenges us to
make adjustments, if other interests or attachments have replaced Jesus Christ
as fixed points. The darkness of Advent
reminds us that we have time to change and turn more completely to Christ. The distractions of the “Holiday Season” make
those changes more difficult. Facing
darkness squarely with courage and with hope provides space to make those changes. Having dwelt in darkness for four weeks, the
bright light of Christmas when we celebrate the First Coming of the Lord in the
flesh will make more sense and provide incredible joy. I may be in a wheel chair when Zoey gets
marrieds. My nephew may be right. Either way, I’m here now, trying, like you, to
make Jesus Christ the fixed point of my life, waiting in joyful hope for the
coming of our God.
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