December 1, 2024 ~ First Sunday of Advent
“Come Home for Christmas”
Rev. Beckie Sweet
Happy New Year!
That’s right. Today marks the beginning of the new church year. For liturgy geeks, this is Year C in the Revised Common Lectionary cycle, which means we will be hearing a lot from Luke’s gospel over the next few months.
But the gospel passage assigned for the first Sunday in Advent, this first Sunday of the new church year, does not come from the beginning of Luke. This passage is found near the end of the gospel, as Jesus is preparing his disciples for the time when he will no longer be with them in the flesh. Jesus has come to Jerusalem for one purpose only: to give his life for the redemption of us all. His earthly ministry is nearing its completion, and he knows it.
As Jesus shares with his disciples signs of the end times, a parable about recognizing when the ultimate change is near, and how to be prepared for one’s final judgement, do you hear the invitation to “Go Home?” Do you hear words of HOPE? This is a passage which anticipates the coming of Christ. We most often during this season of Advent anticipate the arrival of a cute, fragile baby Jesus who would be laid in a manger. But this passage anticipates the arrival of Christ in final glory, when he will usher in the Kin-dom of God in its fullness.
On this Sunday, we are challenged to ask ourselves, “Is my anticipation of the arrival of Jesus filled with hopeful joy, or dread and foreboding? Advent is about being honest!
Have you ever lived next to someone who maintained their yard immaculately? The Rhoney family lived next door to us just behind the Kenmore West High School. Brian and Erin had three lovely daughters, and we all connected easily, forming a bond which was a special blessing during the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Toward the end of summer each year, before their pool was put to bed for the winter, Brian would get out his favored autumn power tools. To me they looked like an industrial strength leaf blower and a landscaper’s leaf bagger. There was a little twinkle in Brian’s eyes as he awaited the first dozen leaves that would fall on his weed-free, perfectly level yard.
I always prayed for the autumn breezes to blow in my favor. In other words, I hoped God would blow the fallen leaves from my yard to Brian’s to add to the joy of Brian’s leaf clean-up, rather than to add to my dread of spending hours and hours raking, always causing blisters on my hands. How are we approaching this season? With twinkling eyes, or with dread?
On this first Sunday of Advent, we are called to remember the HOPE. God is casting a vision for us that holds up the kin-dom ideal and invites everyone to get ready to head home~to a spiritual home. It’s time. That’s our call. It’s time to go home. What do we do when it’s time to go home? We make lists. We put things in order. We set our minds on our destination. As we do our decorating, plan gatherings, prepare for shared meals, are we painting a portrait of God’s kin-dom?
Our scripture text reminds us to “pay attention!” Pay attention to honoring the most meaningful traditions of the past as we recapture the birth of that holy child again. Pay attention to anticipating the unfolding of God’s will for the future. For like a tree whose buds are swelling, the time of Christ’s glory will come sooner than we may think. Pay attention to those around us and where they are on this journey through Advent. In the eyes twinkling around us we may see glimpses of the God’s kin-dom in which we hopefully will find an eternal home in which to dwell. There are sightings of the Savior in those twinkling eyes, in the hesitant thank you’s and the gasps of wonder. In the late-night conversations of scattered family members trying to figure out what might be next, there are prayers of hope and of love, an embrace of peace that brings tears to our eyes….IF we pay attention.
Yes, when we pay attention, we see the mess from the last family gathering we may need to clean up, and that can be tiring. But, we also see life, dying and rising life, enough to give us hope in a dreary season. And, as we pay attention, we should hear a call to go home. Whether we’re going forward or back, we’re called to be ready….to go home.