As I write
this, Thanksgiving Day has passed; kids are back in school; the Hallmark
Channels are running their endless smorgasbord of holiday movies; 100.5 &
102.5 FM are 24/7 with every Christmas song ever written (I’m a Johnny Mathis
Christmas guy); St. James is changing its liturgical colors; and everyone is
getting into the Christmas spirit of some kind.
There’s only
one problem – it’s not the Christmas season, no matter what they shout, while
Santa waves at the end of the Macy’s parade. It is Advent!
If the
secular world has successfully eliminated the Nativity from the holidays (You
can find lovely “Christmas” decorations in Dubai or Kolkata), it has done a
better job (with our help?) in expunging the expectancy of Advent from our
thoughts, conversations, celebrations, and activities.
Advent, the
beginning of the Church Calendar Year, the declaration that the Christ has come
and is coming again, the continuing call to all (believers and unbelievers) to
wake up, the constant prompting of the urgency of this hour, the proclamation
of hope that our redemption is near – this season is a stirring reminder that
this world is not our home, and we are living and longing for our Lord’s coming
and eternal Kingdom.
And why
wouldn’t the world want us to minimize this? The King of all kings has come
into the world, died for our sins, risen from the grave, ascended to His
heavenly throne and now declares His rule and reign over all, while the prince
of this world convinces everyone that they are the captains of their own souls
and that there is plenty of time.
This prince,
though he is a defeated foe, knows that time, in fact, is running out and that
our King is soon to return, overthrowing all principalities and powers, opening
the final books for judgment, and establishing His Kingdom, power, and dominion
forever. Knowing all of this, the “ruler of this world” inoculates God’s people
with busyness, idleness, the cares of this world, even the benign routines of
life, so that the church softens its message, loses its urgency, and replaces
longing with comforts.
The Advent
season cannot allow this to be the settled condition of Christ’s Church; it is
a wake up call, the alarm in the fire station, the check engine light in the car,
the sudden health scare, the hurricane warnings, and more, all meant to be
jolts to our complacency.
The King is
returning! We don’t know when, but it’s closer than ever! Advent, the great
cloud of witnesses, and God’s word all call us to readiness and alertness. Ministry,
worship, and life at St. James echo that message and that hope.
The Spirit
is moving afresh in the people called St. James; there is a growing hunger for
deeper intimacy with God, a longing for real, authentic relationships (Life
Groups), continued equipping with the transforming truth of God’s Word,
ministry to people of all ages, outreach to the broken and needy, and a greater
expectancy that the Day of the Lord and redemption are nearer to us than ever
before.
I pray that
each of you would know an awakened stirring this Advent season, and that you
would gather with us as we sing, “Lo, He comes with clouds descending” and
declare, “We remember his death, We proclaim his resurrection, We await his
coming in glory.”
I have you
in my heart!
Pastor Mark (Marco)
