By Rev. Dr. Carla A. Romarate-Knipel
“The problem is that Christmas has lost its shock value. One of the great purposes of Advent is to help us recover that shock. What do you think was the hardest thing to believe for the early Christians? The shocking truth that everybody matters. You matter! What is the most real thing about you? The most real thing about you is that you are loved!” – Alan Jones, “Asking for a Sign,” Goodness and Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” – John 3:16, NIV
As I write this message it’s Thanksgiving eve and I recall an interesting (somewhat awkward) experience I had earlier today when I greeted someone “Happy Thanksgiving,” while walking on the sidewalk near the Woodbury Public Library. The response I heard was, “I don’t really celebrate, but thanks anyway.” I was taken aback but I kept moving, still smiling (but a bit shocked). It made me wonder why people celebrate or not celebrate certain holidays. It made me reflect on Alan Jone’s statement that Advent helps us recover the shock value of Christmas.
Has Christmas become so comfortable and pleasant that we had forgotten how uncomfortable, awkward and yes, shocking it was for Mary, Joseph and yes, even baby Jesus? Jesus, who was the Word who created all things into being as the Gospel writer John testified in John 1, became an infant who could not say a single word when he was born, only a cry and unintelligible sounds! That must have been a shock for God who became human. All done because of LOVE.
So Advent comes to the rescue, to help us recover some of the shock. The shocking news that God so loved the world that God became human in order to save us from becoming less human and find our rightful place in God’s eternal purpose and live with God forever. What was shocking about then is that it was the most unlikely and inconceivable act that God was expected to do. It was like someone jumped off a cliff hoping the law of gravity did not apply to him or her. God becoming human was just not done, it was not possible. But when Jesus came, and the Good news was announced by the angels, that was a shock!
We are so used to hearing this message that we are not shocked anymore. We take it for granted. We are once again going through the motions, stressed by the preparations, and the holiday rush. For sure, there is a delightful and heartwarming anticipation of Christmas. There are Advent traditions that we practice, at home and every Sunday, that give us joy. But unless we take time to slow down, ponder and pay attention to what really happened on that first Christmas, we will miss out on what God is saying to us in this season of preparation not just for the commemoration of the first Christmas but for the second coming of Jesus, in his glorious majesty. Not being prepared for Jesus’ second and final coming, will be a shocking moment.
The late Henri Nouwen, one of the Christian writers whose wisdom I value, wrote that “The gospels are full of stories of waiting. The story of the birth of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke introduces us to five people who are waiting with expectation –Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary, Simeon, and Anna. Besides being individuals loved by God, they are representatives of waiting Israel. They are able to wait for the promise to be fulfilled, to wait with attention to the Word, and to wait with hopeful expectation…They were alert and responsive to the voice that spoke to them and said, ‘Don’t be afraid. Something is happening to you. Pay attention.’ Mary, especially, was patient and attentive in her waiting. ‘May it be to me as you have said’ (Luke 1:38) … Patient waiting is staying fully in the present moment.” (Henri Nouwen, Discernment, 151 and 153)
This Advent and Christmas seasons, may we, as individual disciples of Jesus and as a church, take the time to be like Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Simeon and Anna, and wait patiently for God to act in the “fullness of time.” As we anticipate the joyful day of Christmas, may each Advent Sunday be a rest stop, when we pause, pray, sing, listen to God’s message and give thanks for the gift of Jesus, in His first coming; and prepare for his final Coming in his glory and majesty. But as we live in between two Advents and Christmas, may our patient waiting for God lead us to act with faith, hope and love not only this Christmas but in the coming new year.
I encourage you to invite your family and friends to celebrate with us in patient waiting for Christmas through the four Sundays of Advent and Christmas Eve services. Let us spread the news that we are God’s beloved children and everyone is welcome in God’s house. That is a message that may shock those who haven’t heard about it, but it will certainly be Good News, just like the angels sang about on that first Christmas!
Have a Blessed Advent and A Joyful Christmas!
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Carla
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