The four Sundays prior to Christmas Day are called the Sundays of Advent. The first Sunday of Advent signals the beginning of the church year. On each of these four Sundays, the collective church and its particular members are called to examine themselves and their lives; to prepare for the coming of Christmas. The church’s expectation of the coming of Christmas is not the overspending, social exhaustion, and consumerist blitzkrieg that the twenty first century American “holiday season” has become. It is at the same time much simpler and much more difficult.

Advent is the time the church celebrates the birth of Christ that happened over 2,000 years ago, and at the same time, anticipates Christ’s promised return. In Advent, we are called to examine what “the beginning” has to do with “the end.” By this I mean, “What do Bethlehem, angels, shepherds, magi, and manger have to do with salvation, eschaton, second coming, heaven, and realm of God?” This is only part of Advent’s call. Through Advent we are also called to explore what “the end” or “the coming again” has to do with “in the mean time.” Advent is the sobering medicine of memory that exposes the absurdity of our own efforts at salvation, both for humankind and for ourselves, and at the same time offers us hope in spite of this absurdity; hope that is grounded in the power and love of the God of Egyptian liberation and Promise Land deliverance.

Whatever else we “do” to prepare for Christmas, what matters most is that we take the time to “remember” who it is that came and who it is that will come again. Our hope..... our liberation..... our deliverance.... are in and through the God who comes in decisive ways– the God whose inbreaking is like a wild animal tearing out of its cage and into our world.

Make no mistake about it. It is a dangerous inbreaking that will challenge and threaten much of what we’ve done and amassed in our futile efforts at security. It is a risky inbreaking that will expose the hoax of our seasonal busyness and silence the noise of our incessant holiday chatter. But it is the only inbreaking that will do; the only inbreaking that will open to us the hope that we so desperately need; the only hope that will open us to understand and appreciate the true gift of Christmas.

Blessed Advent.

© 2005 Todd Jenkins