These are the days of your appearing

AND NOW, presenting THE SEASON OF ADVENT!

Today is the first day of the new Church Year 2020-2021

First Sunday of Advent, November 29, 2020            (today’s lectionary)

These are the days of your appearing

Lord, you are our father, so why do you let us wander and harden our hearts and thereby fail to fear you? Please come again and make the mountains quake. and impress us with awesome deeds as we have heard from old. You are angry and we are full of sin. Even our good deeds are like polluted rags. We wither like leaves and our guilt carries us away like the wind.

The winds rise and so too our souls, like autumn leaves, light, no longer living, blowing in the wind. Once we were green and bright and strong, and we sang a different song. You led us in the song of spring, and we worshipped you together. But not now. You are angry and we are full of sin.

But still Lord, you are our father. You are the potter and we are the clay. Every one of us is the work of your hands.

No wonder we must spend four weeks preparing for the Great Day, for the coming to earth of your kingdom and our salvation. Four weeks isn’t enough, it never is. We are distracted now as always by colored lights, by laughter down this alley or that, by the kiss of wine and taste of roasted meat.

But then you say, no problem boys and girls. I will come down to you, and I will laugh with you and be kissed by wine myself, and taste the roasted meat. Give me a piece of fish, Jesus will someday say, a week or so after he’s been crucified and buried, and became alive again.

O shepherd of Israel, look down from heaven and take care of this vine, protect what your right hand has planted. Give us new life and we will no more withdraw from you. May your help be with the man of your right hand, with the son of man whom you’ve made strong.

These are the first days of the coming of Jesus. Mary, pregnant by the Holy Spirit, waits to birth her child Jesus. The “mother of God” will carry us with her as she walks with Joseph through silent staring streets toward the little town of Bethlehem. Gentle whispers in her womb overcome her embarrassment. Even as Jesus is not yet born he says to her, “Do not be afraid.” This predicament is only the first of many. “There’s no hurry, Mary. Just take one step and then another.”

Brothers and sisters, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. As you wait for the revelation of Jesus, you have been enriched in every way. God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

There will be days of blossom, days of thorn. Questions rise up like gorge in Mary’s throat, and in ours. Why does it have to be this way? Can’t you call me into fellowship with less confusion? But God just whispers, “This confusion is neither yours nor mine, it’s simply an attack of evil, and you can breathe, and you can walk straight, and I will never leave you.”

Show us Lord, your love, and grant us your salvation. But teach us to be watchful, because we do not know when the time will come.

We’ve made a ritual and tradition called Advent so we can know at least a little something. Jesus is coming soon. We’ll sing the songs we’ve always sung and praise him. That’s our job these days, and the rest will appear at just the right time.

(Isaiah 63, Psalm 80, 1 Corinthians 1, Psalm 85, Mark 13)

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