Advent is here!
Today is the beginning of Advent, which is the start of the new year for the church. The purpose of Advent is that we as Christians, are looking forward to the return of Christ. This was expressed in the passages in the Daily Office today where both New Testament passages (2 Peter 3:1-10 and Matthew 25:1-13) refer to Jesus’ return coming “like a thief” (2 Peter) and that we “neither know the day nor the hour” (Matthew).
When I walked into the sanctuary at church there was a noticeable difference. The church was absolutely beautiful as the colors have changed from green to a rich violet. Even the service began a little differently by the reading of a passage, confession and then procession. The readings from Jeremiah spoke to the fact that a “branch” (Jesus, the Root of Jesse) was going to be given to Judah and Israel. This was symbolic for the Jews as they were looking forward to the coming of the Messiah.
Next, the Collect of the Day read:
“Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the deeds of darkness and to put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which your Son came to us in great humility; that on the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.”
During the Eucharist we joined together as a congregation in affirming: “Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.”
And our closing prayer read:
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying ‘Behold the dwelling place of God is with man, He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.'” (Rev 21:1-4, ESV)
When I was a child, I was always amazed at how all the old folks could hardly wait to leave this world to see Jesus. They were referring to heaven as their home and praying that God would either return or take them any day. — I didn’t get it then. But I do now. After living through some pretty difficult times in my life (nearly losing my wife and daughter in child birth, my wife’s thyroid cancer, job losses) it’s all starting to make sense. A new heaven and a new earth sound awesome!
