Friends, we all live in these times of despair. Each of us, both personally and collectively, lives in a world and in a space wherein seemingly hopeless situations abound, and it leads us to despair.
Seems the rate of violent mass shootings increases, while simultaneously negative lists of inhumane activities go on and on. The only responses some have to offer are “thoughts and prayers” rather than viable alternatives, we are certainly living in despairing times.
What a better time to acknowledge the Christian season of Advent and its powerful meaning to humanity, God’s children.
This liturgical calendar year, Advent began on the first Sunday in December and will end on Christmas Eve. Advent, derived from the Latin word adventus, the word means “coming,” “approach,” or “arrival.” “Advent” is also a word historically used in the church to signify Christ’s second coming.
Advent prepares us to celebrate Jesus Christ’s arrival, born into our broken world as a real, enfleshed human being. However, the season of Advent also directs us toward the ultimate, eschatological hope of our eternal Savior’s second coming and the subsequent reconciliation of all things. In other words, we spiritually “get ready” for Christ to come again.
In Journey into the Heart of God: Living the Liturgical Year, Philip Pfatteicher writes, “The spirit of the season is expressed in the impatient cry of a sometimes desperate people, ‘O that you would tear open the heavens and come down’ (Isaiah 64:1-9).” This lament from Isaiah, a prayer of grief, is offered as those in the text are living in circumstances of despair. The despair as a people who have endured the Exodus and its aftermath. They are living in despair as a people who experienced exilic years in the wilderness. They have witnessed foreign occupations, widespread destruction of the lands around them, oppression from the Babylonians, and even the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple! The prophet Isaiah, in the passage here is asking GOD to, “Rip open the heavens! Descend and come down to us! Make the mountains shudder at your presence. Make the nations shake in their boots. Shock your enemies into facing you! God’s people are living in despair”.
Traditionally, Churches are decorated with purple or dark blue during Advent. The colors are often associated with royalty, signifying the anticipated arrival of Christ the King.
Evergreens and fire, two of the main materials that make up the Advent wreath, are both deeply rooted in ancient, pre-Christian symbolism associated with everlasting life. Traditionally, four candles form a circle around the outside of the wreath, with one white candle in the middle, known as the Christ Candle. The four outer candles customarily represent Peace, Hope, Joy, and Love. One candle is lit for each of the four Sundays of Advent, with the Christ Candle as the final one we light on Christmas Eve.
Advent season takes us into the mind of old Isreal, longing for the first coming of the Messiah. While congregations sing the praying hymn, “O Come, O Come, Immanuel,” where we prepare ourselves, our hearts, our homes, our lives, for the second coming of Christ. Amen.
Pastor Annabell Williams-Blegen,
Elmira United Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Kewanee Voice.
