Advent 1, Year C – A time of signs

 Advent 1, Nov. 28, 2021(full size gallery)

A new church year (Year C) a new Gospel (Luke) and a new season (Advent) wrapped into one. A beautiful Sunday with clear blue skies and moderate temperatures for November. Music was one of the highlights with Larry Saylor soloing on guitar for “I Wonder as I Wander” and the choir doing a different arrangement of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.”

Another highlight was seeing our friends Ed and Doris Hooker who stop here once or twice a year to or from their Atlanta home. This is the 5th year absent 2020 (Covid) that they have been doing it.

We lit the first of 4 Advent Candles. While the Advent wreath with its four candles did bring light to churches, it was not to illuminate the interior as much as to symbolize the coming of Christ.

Advent is but 4 weeks and except for Christmas week Advent 1 is probably the biggest week. Advent begins in a season of darkness but using the Advent wreath we see light winning over darkness. Advent waiting is expectant. Advent waiting requires making space. Advent waiting is hopeful.

The theme of this Sunday is for Jesus to come after being foretold in the Old Testament and after 400 years of silence from God at the time. Thus there is the theme of hope and yearning for Jesus to come again into our lives.

This is in the first reading from Jeremiah 33:14-16 – “The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called.”

Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

Our Advent readings teach us one that such coming will be ever a surprise, ever new, ever unexpected. They teach us to look beyond even our own hopes. What newness in life, what new experience in faith, what new understanding, awaits us as we turn our minds and hearts to the coming of our Lord again this year?

In our scriptures, the season of Advent begins with a look to the future coming (parousia of the Son of Man. While we typically live with a fairly linear view of time — one event coming after another — the church’s liturgical and lectionary calendar is cyclical — patterns of events repeating themselves.

We live, according to Luke, between the two great poles of God’s intervention in the world: the coming of Christ in the flesh and his triumph over death – in this regard we should not forget that these verses serve as the hinge between Jesus’ teaching and his passion — and the coming of Christ in glory at the end of time and his triumph over all the powers of earth and heaven. This “in-between time,” though fraught with tension, is nevertheless also characterized by hope as both the beginning and the ending of the story of the Church — and therefore of our story — which has been secured by Christ. We are therefore free to struggle, to wait, to work, to witness — indeed to live and die — with hope because we know the end of the story.

We sing hymns of expectations as well as promise and meaning which was true in the prelude- “I Wonder as I Wander” performed by Larry Saylor

I wonder as I wander out under the sky
That Jesus my Savior did come for to die
For poor on’ry people like you and like I
I wonder as I wander out under the sky
I wonder as I wander out under the sky
That Jesus my Savior did come for to die
For poor on’ry people like you and like I
I wonder as I wander out under the sky

->Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.

->Peace on earth heaven is proclaiming
Peace on earth heaven is proclaiming: peace descending from above,
peace, goodwill, lost ones reclaiming, peace from God, God who is
love: peace in Jesus, peace in Jesus, peace that never shall remove.
Glory to our great Creator, glory in the highest strain;
glory to the Mediator, both from angels and from all:
to Immanuel, to Immanuel, all the glory doth pertain

->Signs of ending all around us

Signs of ending all around us, darkness, death, and winter days
Shroud our lives in fear and sadness, numbing mouths that long to praise.
Come, O Christ, and dwell among us! Hear our cries, come set us free.
Give us hope and faith and gladness. Show us what there yet can be.
Can it be that from our endings, new beginnings you create?
Life from death, and from our rendings, realms of wholeness generate?
Take our fears, then, Lord, and turn them into hopes for life anew:
Fading light and dying season sing their Glorias to you.


Commentaries, Advent 1

From Trinity Episcopal, New York

Luke 21:25–36

Jesus said, “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees — as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”


“This Sunday’s passage centers on times of trouble — trouble in the present and trouble to come. Jesus warns his disciples that with his incarnation and mission, a new era has begun. While the birthing of this new era will come with birth pains — “fear and foreboding” — there will also be, at the end of a time of suffering, a new season of “redemption.” Jesus does not want us to be afraid. Rather, he calls for us to be alert. How do we stay awake and present with God, even as the difficulties of this world continue to spin around us? Jesus notes that we must be “on guard so that are hearts are not weighed down.” We are to trust in God’s purposes for us and for the world, so that even when it feels like the end of the world, we know that God is in control. —Summerlee Staten


From Laudato Si Walking, Antonio Caschetto

“Today begins this journey towards an encounter, towards the cave of Bethlehem. The Gospel of this Sunday speaks to us of catastrophic events, almost strange to find here, at the beginning of the Christmas period, made up of beautiful lights and nativity scenes.

“When we talk about the “end of the world” we have a wrong concept: it is not the final catastrophe, but if we think about it, the world tends to end from the moment it was created. Because from the condition of perfection of creation, the world, corruptible, tends more and more to degrade because of evil, understood in its broadest forms. But even in evil, in the trial, in the cross, we must be good at seeking the light. Love. Eternal life.

“This is perhaps how the Gospel that opens the Advent this year should be read. The same events can be seen in two ways: either to resign oneself to evil, or to welcome the weeds but to make the wheat grow. This is the invitation at this time, walking towards the cave.

“It is therefore not a catastrophe, but the encounter with our Creator, the homecoming, our common home. For this reason, the signs of heaven should not frighten us, but hearten us. They are like weddings, sung in the last book of the Holy Scriptures, both for Jews with the Song of Songs, and for Christians with the book of Revelation. In both cases, the Scriptures close with a wedding story, a celebration.

“This passage from Luke talks about the wedding. The encounter with God that takes place now is not in an indefinite future. Now I can live love, this is the “secunda death” of the Canticle of St. Francis. There is a counterpoint: on one hand everything is collapsing, like the planet we see collapsing now, anguish, and on the other hand, Christ who comes triumphant. The signs are the opposite of the creative act of the Logos, the chaos opposed to the cosmos. We are in the middle, suspended, in fear, without an escape, in precariousness.

“Science, philosophy, politics, should help us to find a way out, to escape, but the heart of the drama is the inner chaos, the inner deserts, the pessimism, the certainty that there is no more way out, our fear. For fear we destroy the good, we destroy the planet, resigned.

“The powers of heaven are upset, as on the cross, when our idea of God collapses, when we are disappointed and without certainties. When God lets himself be found in the cry of the poor, in the fragile, in the least, we are disappointed and do not understand him.

“What will happen in all this darkness? Christ does not arrive “after these things”, but the text says “and then they will see …” the son of man. This expression, taken up by Daniel, the only definition of himself that Jesus gives himself, tells us that he will be seen by men at the height of his essence when he hangs from the cross. Inside evil, above the cross, it is precisely there that we can contemplate God who holds up all evil, forgiving everyone. God is not as we imagine him in apocalyptic scenarios, as the judge who condemns, but the one who forgives sins, the Lord of the Sabbath, the one who eats and drinks with sinners, the one who will have to suffer at the hands of men, who gives up in the hands of sinners.

“What is the glory? Precisely on the cross God reveals himself as father and mother, he reveals himself as the one who welcomes, who generates life, whom he loves. He comes on a cloud reminding us of the exodus, the cloud from which the light came out to freedom, the cloud of the Transfiguration. We must be good at finding this cloud now, in this world, not in an ideal future world, in a future paradise outside of this reality.

“How much light, in these first steps of Advent! We are called to look up, to live as free men, without fear, to watch over this fragile planet that suffers injustices, to be careful, not to lose the face of God, this wonderful spectacle! Asking God to free us from evil:

“Let us all, brothers, consider the Good Shepherd who to save His sheep bore the suffering of the Cross. The sheep of the Lord followed Him in tribulation and persecution and shame, in hunger and thirst, in infirmity and temptations and in all other ways; 1 and for these things they have received everlasting life from the Lord. Wherefore it is a great shame for us, the servants of God, that, whereas the Saints have practised works, we should expect to receive honor and glory for reading and preaching the same.” (FF 155)

“Only in this way can we change the world, from the inside, finally living a true conversion. Good path towards this meeting!


From Sermons that Work – The Episcopal Church

“These are the questions that come up while we sit with this conundrum using our Advent lens. Paul’s response to the Thessalonians is simultaneously theological and pastoral. Further on in the letter, he addresses the community’s fear about those who have already died, affirming that they will experience resurrection and have a place in the coming kingdom of God. He also acknowledges those feelings of grief, helplessness, and powerlessness that accompany that feeling that God has abandoned or forgotten us. He declares that we wait with faith.

“To wait with faith is to acknowledge that the waiting is not pointless. It is to believe that the waiting will be worth it. In addition to cognitive belief, waiting is a time for feeling. We see in Paul’s letter that he himself is waiting to see this community again. But his faith influences the way that he waits to be reunited. While apart, he reaches for that feeling of joy found in each other’s presence: “How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith.” Here, Paul is naming the joy of Christian connection, but he is also naming the fact that he misses this community of his friends.

“Waiting is a time to look around and recognize that all is not as it should be or could be. Waiting is the time to lean into these feelings of longing. It is a time to lean into those feelings that not all is right, and that there is something better to come. It is a time to dream; it is a time to imagine. When we wait, though it seems that death and suffering run rampant and unrestrained through our world, we dream of being comforted. We dream of being reunited with loved ones. We dream of a time when God is going to make everything alright. To echo the words of Jeremiah, we dream of a time when God’s promise is fulfilled, and all will live in safety and in flourishing. We dream of a day when God will execute justice and righteousness throughout the land.

“In the coming weeks of Advent, we will hear of the prophets who came to prepare the way for Jesus, especially John the Baptizer. We will hear a message of repentance and of a baptism of fire. And of course, we will hear of Mary and Elizabeth. The task before us is to read and hear these stories in the spirit of Advent.

“Advent is a time to stop and to hesitate. It is a time to dig into the discomfort and seeming incongruities Scripture presents to us. It is a time to linger with questions rather than rush to answers. These moments of delay or disruption create space to feel. In these coming weeks leading up to Christmas, may we all pause and look around. May we notice those things which are and those things we wish would be. Certainly, we believe in Christmas and the theologies of Incarnation and of God’s presence with us. But we also believe in the not-yet. We hold onto those feelings of discomfort and of doubt. We believe in Christmas, but let us also believe in Advent.

“What does it mean to believe in Advent? To believe in Advent is to believe in waiting. And may our waiting be full of dreams for a better world, full of God’s justice and love made present to all. Amen.”

From St. Peter’s

A new church year (Year C) a new Gospel (Luke) and a new season (Advent) wrapped into one.

Advent is but 4 weeks and except for Christmas week Advent 1 is probably the biggest week. Advent begins in a season of darkness but using the Advent wreath we see light winning over darkness. And today the fog was gradually lifted.

The theme of this Sunday is for Jesus to come after being foretold in the Old Testament and after 400 years of silence from God at the time. Thus there is the theme of hope and yearning for Jesus to come again into our lives.

Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

We sing hymns of expectations

->Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.

->The King shall come when morning dawns,
and light and beauty brings;
“Hail, Christ the Lord!” Thy people pray,
come quickly, King of kings!

->O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

The name “Advent” actually comes from the Latin word “adventus”
which means “coming.” It is a reminder of how the Jewish nation waited for the Messiah and how Christians are now waiting for the return of Christ.

During each Sunday of the Advent season, we focus on one of the four virtues Jesus brings us: Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. Others consider the lighting of the first candle to symbolize expectation, while the second symbolizes peace, the third joy and the fourth love. The third candle is pink reflecting the change of colors. This third Sunday came to be a time of rejoicing that the fasting was almost over (in some traditions it is called Gaudete from the Latin word for “rejoice”).

The Christ candle is lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day reminding Christians that Jesus is the light of the world.

The readings on First Advent are about redemption and being faithful to that through perseverance. It is all about creative problem solving of hindrances. Jeremiah reminds God’s people of the divine promise of healing and restoration. Paul affirms the faith of the Thessalonian Christians, urging them to remain steadfast as they look forward to Jesus’ return. Jesus himself, in today’s reading from Luke, assures us that, though the cosmos may be in upheaval, redemption awaits the faithful.

In 626 BCE, God’s call came to a young priest, Jeremiah. Reluctant to take up his mission, Jeremiah often criticized his task, his performance and occasionally God. But he remained faithful to his commission and trusted in God’s plan to renew the people after judgment.

In today’s reading, Jeremiah 33:14-16 , the prophet communicates God’s promise of healing and restoration. The promise concerns God’s gift of a deliverer, a Messiah, from the line of David. This king’s reign will be characterized by justice and a right relationship with God, unlike the reign of King Zedekiah, Judah’s last king.

The Epistle is from 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13. Paul’s stay in Thessalonika was relatively brief, and after he left, the new converts faced the hostility of their neighbors. Paul’s concern for the Thessalonians’ welfare led him to send Timothy back to visit (3:2). Timothy’s encouraging report about their faithfulness (3:6) occasioned Paul’s letter to them. Written from Corinth about AD 51, it is the earliest writing of the New Testament.

Paul expresses joy at the news of the Thessalonians’ perseverance and reiterates his continuing care for their spiritual growth. They are lacking, not in the faith that makes one a Christian, but in the teaching needed for further growth in sanctification. Paul instructs them about the moral implications of their faith (4:1-12) and the meaning of the second coming (4:13–5:11).

The Gospel, Luke 21:25-36 is a response by Jesus to the disciples’ questions about the end-time. He Jesus offers an imaginative picture of the cosmic changes that will signal his triumphant return for the final transformation of the earth.

One Advent theme that recurs throughout the season: the natural world speaks to us. Through the roaring of waves and the signs of sun, moon and stars, Jesus urges his hearers and us to pay attention to the deeper meanings hidden within.

The reference to the coming of the Son of Man “in a cloud” (v. 27) links Jesus’ anticipated second coming to his transfiguration and ascension. The redemption announced by Anna (2:36-38) is drawing near.

Jesus has a different interpretation of natural events that are frightening -the shaking of heaven and clouds. After listing a sequence of calamities that would leave most of us whimpering, Jesus tells us to stand up straight and raise our heads—salvation is at hand. “So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.”

If Jesus says that such catastrophic events can herald our ransom, it gives us a different perspective on the calamities of our own day. It is tempting to become paralyzed by the overwhelming scope of the problems in the world.

Yet Jesus sees these events with different eyes. To him, they are not causes for depression or inertia, but challenges to the Christian. Just as Jesus found a message within disaster, so our experience of floods, earthquakes and fires can alert us to the fragility of precious relationships. To God, no one is ever a nameless victim. God can turn our closets of fear into empty tombs. John Gardner echoes the theme of treasure hidden in disaster: “We are all continually faced with a series of great opportunities, brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.”

In verses 34-36, Jesus warns his disciples of those habits that can effectively prevent readiness. Overindulgence and worldly cares (v. 34) can so dull the spirit that the Lord’s return will seem more of a trap than a sign of hope.

Watchfulness must be accompanied by prayer so that the disciple can endure the cataclysm of the last days and find comfort in the Lord’s presence