The Season of Advent is
nearly over once more, the 4th and final candle,
signifying Love, is lighted. As the waiting time is going, the activity
level in many households frenetically escalates in anticipation of the Coming. For
young children, the anticipation of the coming is about
Santa/Father Christmas, presents, colorful lights, sparkling decorations, and
sugary delights. For many of us adults, the preparatory time is about the
planning, the shopping, the baking, the cooking, and the celebration
with friends and family, the post-Christmas cleanup, and exhaustion. Again, and
again, we hear and we think we know, what Christmas is all about. And year
after year we, who are so privileged, fall into the same traps of cultural,
familial, and commercial expectations. We know of, and many of us
contribute money, time, and gifts for, those far less privileged as we continue
on with our “traditions” of celebration.
Perhaps surprisingly, the appointed
readings from Isaiah and the Psalm are not happy or merry. God tells Ahaz
of Judah, the signs are all there, all he has to do is ask God for them. But
the ever-Kingly Ahaz says "Oh-No-I-don't-want-to-test-God" with
the false humility of a leader who is really saying, "I can't be
bothered." Isaiah's frustration is palpable when he says, in effect,
"OH PUH-LEEZE! The Lord Himself is telling you that there's a young
woman with child from the House of David, and you'll be out of here before he's
old enough to know good from evil.” Isaiah foreshadows what later came to pass, the exile
and scattering of the tribe of Judah.
The Psalmist’s lament gives a clear plea to
God to give us life and Restore us…and we shall be
saved. Paul’s opening in the Letter to the Romans is definitively
setting up Christ’s important Davidic lineage, and that both his and our call
is to belong to Christ and spread the Gospel message.
But I return to What is Christmas about – merely a
birthday celebration?
Quite a few years ago, a local
gentleman playwright, as an Artist in Residence, wrote a Christmas musical play
for the parochial elementary school my daughters attended ~ sort of an Our
Town [the classic prize-winning small-town-USA play by Thornton
Wilder] meets the True Meaning of Christmas ~ and all of the several
hundred students were in the play, with a few having key roles, of course. I
regret to say that I cannot recall the exact name of the play, or the
playwright's name, but the message remains clear to me. For the moment we'll
call the play Emily's Birthday [Emily is the central character
in the original Our Town. Here’s a very quick summary: "Our Town" summary]. The premise in this
version is that Emily's Birthday is a huge annual event. Emily, who has died,
arrives not realizing that she has died, to participate in the celebration of
the anniversary of her birth. She finds a grand occasion in the
entire town, with glittering decorations, large scale family meals, and many many
gifts being exchanged, all because it's Emily's Birthday! As
we see her in her own family home with each family member happily greeting each
other and everyone with "Happy Emily's Birthday," Emily realizes that
no one is thinking of her at all, there is no gift for her,
nor is there even a place at the table for her. While I'm convinced that this message was
directed more to us adults, the kids - without any blatant or obvious statement
in the script - GOT IT: What is this Birth Day Celebration really all
about? It's time for all of us to "get it" again.
Joseph got quite a message in his
dream in Matthew’s Gospel about who was coming into his life. With but a
few days left, let our primary thoughts be more about the Coming.
Emmanu-el [spelled with either an E or an I], whose name means "God (El) is with us," who is
our Christ - anointed one/Messiah - Jesus, will shine His light upon
us and we shall be saved. Let us revel in the Hope, the Peace,
the Joy, and the Love that these four Sundays of Advent represent. And then let
us truly celebrate by preparing ourselves for and remembering
the significance, especially in these times, of the Birth of Jesus, the only
true GIFT, God's Love Incarnate for our salvation. CHRISTmas is Coming! We are
to be going about His business in this life we have been given to live.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
~ O Lord
our God, restore our souls with fresh anticipation for the birth of the Holy
Child, our Messiah, Christ. Release us from the frantic activity that distracts
us from this waiting time to savor the last few moments in child-like
anticipation, opening us to receive the only Gift we will ever need.
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
RESPONSE: O Come, let us adore You
~ O Lord our
God, shine forth upon those who govern in this World, in this Nation, and in
this Community, that we all shall be saved. Stir up Your strength and help them
to seek Divine truth and pursue justice with compassion, tolerance, and mercy.
We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O
Come, let us adore You
~ O Lord
our God, relieve all who suffer from pain, loneliness, and fear, and renew the
energy of those who attend to their needs. We now join our voices to pray aloud
for those in need… add your own petitions
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O
Come, let us adore You
~ O Lord
our God, walk with those weighed down with sorrow as You joyously welcome all
who live again with You, where suffering and grief are no more. We pray
especially for… add your own petitions
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O
Come, let us adore You
~ O Lord our
God, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt
thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud or
silently… add your own petitions
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O
Come, let us adore You
~ O Lord
our God, grant special grace to those who are anointed in Your Name to
lead us in Your Church. With their help and together may we re-dedicate
ourselves to the obedience of faith and accept the call to belong to Jesus
Christ. We pray especially for: add your
own petitions
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O
Come, let us adore You
The Celebrant adds: O Lord, God of Hosts, as we quietly
breathe into the present moment, prepare us again to be Christ-Bearers of the
One with us and within us, as through His Life we are given life to share His
love and light to all we meet. We ask through Jesus, the Incarnation of Love;
the Holy Spirit, our Divine Wisdom; who together with You are One God, now and
forever. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment