Word to the Wise
Sunday, December 2, 2018 - 1st Sunday of Advent - C
[Jer 33:14-16; 1 Thess 3:12-4:2; Luke 21:25-28, 34-36]SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2018 FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT [Jeremiah 33:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2 and Luke 21;25-28, 34-36] The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah. In those days, in that time, I will raise up for David a just shoot; he shall do what is right and just in the land. [Jeremiah] The First Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of a new liturgical year and the beginning once more of telling the story of God’s plan of salvation. The predominant spirit is one of anticipation of Jesus’ birth but it faces fierce competition from the anticipation of “Santa Claus!” The anticipation in the first scripture, from the prophet Jeremiah, yearns for the fulfillment of God’s covenant as expressed in King David, who was very much a part of the collective memory of Israel. The early Christian community saw Jesus as the fulfillment of that promise, as both the evangelists Matthew and Luke took care to show. The anticipation in today’s gospel scripture seems more focused on Jesus’ second coming than his first one! However, we are indebted to the evangelist Luke for much of our Christmas narrative, expressed in all the pageants on Christmas Eve. The passage today reminds us that Christmas is just the beginning of the story which has not yet ended and challenges us to live in the meantime, even as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. The vestment color will change to purple. There will be Advent wreath blessings and Jesse trees and “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” but the story is a simple one. God is keeping the promise and we are part of the story. Each telling brings new anticipation. AMEN