Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, NY
Here we are in the Third Sunday of Advent. In the great countdown
to Christmas, we’re almost there. In some traditions this is known as Gaudete
Sunday, Rejoice Sunday, and the candle in the Advent Wreath, traditionally, is pink
rather than purple... You’ll notice that none of our candles are purple... let
alone pink. The various colors are a modern tradition, and they are hardly set
in stone.
But if the
colors were part of our wreath, they would have a story to tell. The dark
purple (or indigo or blue) would keep us aware that Advent, like Lent, is a
penitential season... and the point of Gaudete Sunday was to remind us
that it's not all doom and gloom... Emanuel is, after all, about to be with us.
When the bridegroom is present you cannot be gloomy...
Some go a
step further, supposing that this is the Sunday also known as “stir up” Sunday.
But it isn’t and never was. It is true that the collect for today does begin
with the call to “Stir up your power O Lord...” And the thought attached to
this is that today was the day people preparing a Christmas Pudding had to stir
up the batter... Alas, this is not the day for that. The Feast of Christ the
King displaced that Sunday – which still exists as a sort of strange,
unanchored footnote. Its collect does indeed also
begin with stir up... “stir up we beseech thee, O Lord...” the batter for our
Christmas pudding...
But the Sunday
last before Advent, as it was formally known, has been given over to other
purposes. And so steamed Christmas pudding is lost for all time... Here
in the US, we’re not so big on steamed English puddings anyway, more is the pity.
It
fascinates me that in increasingly secular cultures like Europe, some customs
seem to persist. The venerable Advent Calendar is one that surprises me. I grew
up with Advent Calendars that featured a daily chocolate treat of very dubious
quality enclosed behind colorful paper flaps.
Apparently,
chocolate only found its way into Advent Calendars in about 1958 – the same
year I found my way into this world... As I was looking for details about the
history of the Advent Calendar I found this little note: Today, Advent
calendars can be found with a vast range of contents, including toys, makeup,
cheese, and other surprises, though the original religious versions are still
produced... Thank goodness that something of religious tradition still
remains in Advent. Though I suspect for many it's just a misunderstood cultural
artifact.
Part of the
challenge for us, even for those of us who have the privilege of living in a
monastery, is to let the Church Season of Advent keep its voice and not be out
sung (or outshouted) by our Capitalist Secular culture that can make anything
into a marketing opportunity. For example: for a mere thirty-four dollars you
can purchase a Barbie Advent Calendar which includes a Barbie doll and then
many days of Barbie accessories... If you want to spend more, how about the
Missoma Fine Jewelry Advent Calendar for a mere twenty-two hundred dollars...
The notion
of looking forward to the birth of our savior, born in poverty in a stable,
with high-end jewelry, or with a collection of top shelf single malt scotches,
or with exotic makeup is scandalous or worse.
And this is
still Advent... What comes after makes Advent pale. Our Christmas celebrations are
often a mockery of the message of Jesus. We’re not called
to austerity – when the bridegroom is with us, we are meant to celebrate. But
to borrow from our Shaker brothers and sisters; “tis a gift to be simple.” I
dare say it’s not a gift on many people’s lists...
But let's
come back to the Third Sunday of Advent... and in particular
to the Gospel according to Matthew.
Though we
are not yet at the arrival of Jesus, this passage from Matthew has us near the
end of Jesus’ time on earth, and even nearer the end of John’s time on earth.
John sends
out some of his disciples to ask Jesus if he is really the Messiah, or should
they keep looking. It seems like John, of all people, should know the answer to
his question. This is the same Jesus that caused John to leap in Elizabeth’s
womb. This is the same Jesus who John baptized and the heavens thundered. But
now, at this late moment, John’s faith is shaky? Or
perhaps this question is more for the benefit of others... of us.
John’s
disciples dutifully find Jesus and ask him. And Jesus tells them to go and tell
John that the deaf hear, the blind see, the lame walk... Jesus is recounting
the various prophesies about Messiah, about Jesus. Jesus is reminding John that
the promised Messiah is not a great military hero, but rather a healer... a
comforter... a lover of souls. Not a mighty warrior...
Sometimes
our expectations of what we think is coming cause us to miss what really comes.
Perhaps John, like so many of his contemporaries was drifting into the illusion
that Jesus was here to destroy the Romans. Our expectations have a unique
ability to blind us.
John’s
disciples go to tell John, and Jesus turns his attention to everyone else: What
are you people looking at? What kind of show did you come for? What are you
here to see? Not a weak reed... not an over-hyped, pampered politician...
Whether we know it or not, they (and we) have come seeking a prophet.
Our popular
culture wants us to believe that prophets are seers of the future... Their
primary purpose is to predict the far-off things. What a handy and useful skill
that would be... But that is not the purpose of a prophet. Their purpose is to
call us back to faithful living in God’s ways.
This is why
nobody really likes a prophet... Herod didn’t like John – nor did his wife...
So, John’s head was removed from the rest of him. Jesus laments that Jerusalem
is the city that murders the prophets. And over the Millenia we haven’t changed
on that... Just look at Martin Luther King.
Scripture
teaches us that without a prophet the people parish. Yet there is one thing more
dangerous than no prophet, and that is a false prophet – these days we have an
abundance of those...
Jesus has
given us some clues about this prophet business. He tells us that in all of
history there has never been a greater prophet than John. John offers no hints
about what the future may hold. But he is unrelenting in calling us to a holier
way of living – to preparing the way of the Lord.
At this
mid-point in Advent, John, in his prophet’s way, is reminding us that we have
to keep in mind why it matters that Jesus is born in Bethlehem. All the
celebration to come, the beautiful music and sumptuous food... the awesome
decorations and the good company, must not obscure the fact that our world,
like the world at the time of Jesus, is a sorrowful mess. Cruelty, violence,
and grotesque injustice are in abundance. Why do we think it's acceptable for
someone to have to choose between their prescription medications and their
groceries – in the richest country on earth. Martin Luther King told us that
justice is a calculation of God’s love. A lot of our social policies seem to
calculate something very different... very ungodly.
Jesus comes into our world not to magically fix things. Jesus comes because we need saving – from ourselves. As Christina Rosetti puts it, love comes down at Christmas. And bit by bit we need to receive that love. As James Huntington tells us, love must act. So, enjoy good food, sing joyful carols, look at beautiful decorations, take in the love of the season and the love of God. But don’t stop there. Take action to share God’s love with all of God’s creation.
