Good morning, Friends! Happy New Year!
I know that may sound like a strange greeting. But actually, today is the start of the Christian new year. In churches all around the world, today is the beginning of Advent. It’s the season of preparation, the season of getting ready for the coming of Christ. For Christians, the New Year doesn’t begin on January 1st. It begins when we get ready for Jesus.
Today, and the next three Sundays, are all about preparing our hearts and minds for Christmas. And I don’t mean filling our stockings and getting our cards sent out on time. Getting ready for Christmas is something much deeper than that.
Are we ready for light to fill our hearts?
Are we ready to hear some good news?
Are we ready to listen to angels, or to look for God in humble and unexpected places?
Getting ready for Christmas isn’t about Black Friday or Cyber Monday. It’s OK to do our shopping, but it’s also OK to take time out this month to reflect and pray. It’s OK to give to someone who’s hungry, or to visit someone who’s lonely.
Sometime this month, I hope you’ll turn off your TV, and open your Bible, and read the actual Christmas story. It might surprise you!
I’m going to begin the Christmas season this year, with a reading you may not be expecting. It’s about the coming of Christ. And it’s about the surprise of Jesus’ coming.
But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.
That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
Matthew 24:36-44
What does it mean, to be ready for Christmas? What are we getting ready for, anyway?
Advent means arrival. It means Jesus is arriving soon. We don’t know when. Yeah, sure – Christmas is on December 25th, same as last year, same as every year. But when is Jesus coming? When is this really going to happen?
In today’s gospel, Jesus says, “About that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. . .”
See, people had been waiting for hundreds of years for the birth of the Savior. They were praying. They were hoping, but they didn’t know when.
Other years, on this first Sunday of Advent, sometimes we’ve read some of the prophecies about the coming of Christ.
“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. . .For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given. Authority rests on his shoulders, and he shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. . .” (Isaiah 9:2, 6)
People hoped and prayed and waited, listening to those words, for more years than there are between us and Christopher Columbus. They waited so long, they almost forgot who they were waiting for.
But somehow, the dream never went completely away. “King above all kings. . .Lord greater than any other lord. . .the Promised One of Israel. . .a Savior to heal the nations. . .one who will rule with justice, and mercy, and truth. . .”
That dream gave them hope for hundreds of years. Sometimes there were flawed leaders and false messiahs. But they kept on dreaming. They kept on hoping.
The timing is always up to God. Jesus said that even he didn’t know when he’d be coming. Even the angels didn’t know.
But a promise is still a promise, even if it seems delayed to us. Christians know it, in our hearts. If God has promised something, it will happen. When it happens, is just a detail.
There are people today who make a career out of guessing when Jesus is coming. You see them on cable TV shows, and you see their books crowding the shelves of bookstores. They think they can predict when Jesus is coming – even though Jesus himself says that he doesn’t know. When you come across people like that, just change the channel. Don’t buy their books, they’re a total waste of time.
The first Christmas was a surprise to everyone. It was a complete surprise to Mary. She never expected the angel who came to see her. It never entered her head, that she would be the mother of Jesus.
It came as a total surprise to Joseph. He didn’t believe it at first. He was all set to divorce Mary for being unfaithful. Then Joseph had a dream that told him that everything was going to be all right, that the boy they would raise would save his people, who were lost and broken.
Mary and Joseph were surprised again, when instead of being born at home, they were caught on the road. The baby was born in a stable, and laid in a manger where cattle were feeding.
Over and over, everything to do with Jesus arrival is a surprise. We never know, and we can’t control it.
In today’s gospel, Jesus says several times that we need to be watchful. It’s like waiting for a flood, Jesus says. It’s like being on the lookout for a burglar. We need to be ready and waiting.
I thought about that this week. Who can stay awake, all the time? Nobody can. There isn’t enough coffee in the whole world to keep us all awake till Christmas!
What does it mean, to be ready for Jesus? Is it like having your emergency kit packed?
You’ve probably seen kits like that advertised. A five gallon bucket, with everything you need to survive for a few days. Bottled water, granola bars, first aid supplies, an emergency blanket, hand-cranked radio, solar-powered charger for your cell phone, a plastic tarp to make a tent, all packed and ready to go. All good stuff, and super-handy in a disaster or emergency. But is that what Jesus is talking about?
Last month, we had all the fire extinguishers here in the meetinghouse serviced and refilled. And I went around and replaced 28 batteries in all the burglar alarm sensors for every door and window. Those were all good things to do, but is that being ready for Jesus?
This week at Springfield we put candles in all the windows. You can see them all lit up at night. They’re beautiful, and they’re a sign to the whole neighborhood. We love all the Christmas lights. But they’re only a hint that Jesus is coming, the Light of the World.
Earlier this morning, we lit the first candle on the Advent wreath. We’ll light another candle, every Sunday, to remind the children and also the adults to get ready for Jesus.
As you can see, this week we also brought in these beautiful flowers. We put up Christmas wreaths. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll add a Christmas tree and other things.
Advent is a time for us to do more than just put up lights and decorations. It’s a time for us to let the light shine in our hearts. It’s a time for us to be a light, the way Jesus meant when he told us, “You are the light of the world. . .”
It’s a time for all of us to bring peace, into homes and communities, into every place we visit.
Advent is a time for us to feel joy, and to bring joy, in all kinds of ways.
I know it’s hard, but Advent is a time for us not to be afraid. Do you remember, those were the first words that the angel said to Mary?
“Don’t be afraid! You have found favor with God. You will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. . .and his kingdom will have no end.” (Luke 1:30-33)
Don’t be afraid. That’s an important part of the message of Christmas.
I know that for some of you, this is the first Christmas without a parent, or a spouse, or a child, or some other close relative. It feels strange, and lonely. It may not feel like Christmas at all. But don’t be afraid. Jesus is still here. You’re not alone, even if everything feels different. You’re still loved.
One of the big things about Christmas is one of Jesus’ special names. In Hebrew, the Savior was called Emmanuel, which means, “God with us.”
That means that we don’t have to try to climb up to heaven by ourselves. Jesus comes down to us, to our level, to be one of us.
I was browsing through my collection of Quaker quotes this week, and a found a couple of good ones. One of the first generation Friends, named Francis Howgill, wrote about being prepared for Christ. He compared prayer to cleaning your house. Cleaning your house is like cleaning your heart.
He said, “”Why gad you abroad? Return, return to Him that is the first love. . .Return home to within, sweep your houses all. . .and here you will see your Teacher not removed into a corner, but present when you are upon your beds and about your labour. . .“
A second great quote came from George Fox, who started the Quaker movement. He said, “We must not have Christ Jesus, the Lord of Life, put any more in the stable. . .but he must now have the best chamber, the heart, and the rude, ugly spirit must be turned out. . .”
Prepare our hearts. Make room for Jesus in our busy lives. If we’re too busy to put things aside, and welcome Jesus, then we’re too busy, period.
Today is the beginning, the beginning of a New Year. Let’s make it a year of light and hope. Let’s make it a year of love and beauty. Let’s have a year when we’re not afraid, no matter what has happened, no matter what things may threaten us.
There is still joy in the world. There are still people who are good, who are generous and loving.
God has never forgotten the promises. Christ is coming to be with us, to be one of us.
Joy to the world! The Lord is come!