I've always had something of a sweet tooth. So two days after Halloween, I stopped by my local CVS to see if I could pick up some discounted treats, but I was far too late: the shelves were already stocked with piles of red, green, and white candy.
From store displays to advertisements, one could easily get the sense that Christmas is right around the corner, even though we haven't even celebrated Thanksgiving yet! There often seems to be a crazy rush to plan holiday parties, bake piles of cookies, and buy, buy, buy. We take it for granted that the weeks leading up to Christmas are supposed to be frantic and breathless.
But the season of Advent -- which begins the new liturgical year -- offers us a different model. Advent is a time of waiting, of expectation, of hope, a period in which we are encouraged to withdraw from frenzied consumerism and overcommitments and remember just what it is we are really preparing for: the birth of Christ.
The lectionary readings for this week, which marks the first Sunday of Advent, help to center us in a new mindset, one that forces us to slow down and remember what God has done and will do. Jeremiah writes, in words that can be interpreted to foretell the coming of Christ,
"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 is will be called: 'The Lord is our righteousness.'" (Jeremiah 33:14-16)
The words of the prophet encourage us that our waiting is not in vain; the Messiah whose birth we await is a righteous God.
The psalmist, too, speaks of the importance of waiting, beseeching God, "Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long" (Psalm 25:4-5). Here, drawing inspiration from the psalmist, we can use this time of holy waiting to deepen our walk with God, to seek new insights through prayer and the reading of scripture, and to love God by serving others. These weeks of waiting are a gift: a dedicated period in which to strengthen our relationship with God as we wait for the birth of God's son.
But somewhat disconcerting is this week's passage from Luke, in which Jesus foretells the coming of the Son of Man, when "people will faint from fear and foreboding of what it coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Luke 21:26). Jesus exhorts his disciples, "Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly...Be alert at all times" (Luke 21:34, 36).
If Advent is a time of waiting and preparation for the birth of Jesus, this emphasis on Jesus's second coming might seem out of place. But being reminded that Jesus has said that he will come again helps us to remember that God continually calls us to faithful waiting, whether we anticipate a newborn savior or a mighty king -- and God keeps God's promises.
Jesus himself urges us to cast aside our worries and bad habits, and refocus our attention on living our lives in service and love. We don't know exactly what is coming: God has a way of overturning out expectations. Who, after all, would have predicted that the creator of the universe would come to earth as a helpless baby? But as we begin the season of Advent, these passages urge us to extricate ourselves from the hubbub of pre-Christmas busyness, and, in a spirit of peace, pause to ponder the mysteries, promises, and majesty of God.
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