The holiday season is officially upon us. I don't care for the hustle and bustle of getting and spending and shopping associated with the commercial aspect of the season, but I'm immensely grateful for the church season of Advent, which is my favorite of the church year.
Centuries ago, Advent was a season of fasting and penitence, though lesser in severity than Lent, in preparation for the coming of the Christ Child. We've pretty much moved away from the practice of penitence fully into the spirit of expectancy, however the wonderful readings in the Lectionary during Advent are not all sweetness and light. Does not preparing the way of the Lord in a spirit of expectancy include taking stock of ourselves and our lives to see the ways we are ready, and, still more, the ways we are unready to celebrate anew that God came down to be one of us, fully human, with the same joys and sorrow, the same pleasures and struggles common to the human family?
In her post titled 'The tender branch', Elizabeth Kaeton says:
It must be the Season of Advent.Please read all of Elizabeth's post, because it's very good.
I've been having a conversation with a male clergy colleague about Advent. He's a good guy. Truly. One of the best. Intelligent. I learn so much from him. Votes on the side of the angels in terms of all the justice issues.
We disagree about lots of things. Advent is one of them.
He sees it as a mini-Season of Penitence.
I see it as a Season of Anticipation.
He wants Liturgical Purple (the coming of Royalty).
I want Liturgical Blue (the color of Mary).
Why must Advent be one or the other? Why not both Penitence and Anticipation? I'm with Elizabeth in regarding the Incarnation very highly. For me, Christmas is the greatest feast day for without the Incarnation, none of the rest of the Jesus story would follow. The children have it right. I remember being reminded by the nuns in my Roman Catholic school that Easter was the greatest feast in Christianity, but most children I know never took the lesson to heart. And I suppose I've never taken the lesson to heart.
2 Peter 1:1-11Pictured above is my church, St John's Episcopal Church, beautifully dressed for Advent in Mary blue, to match the window, which I freely admit I prefer to purple for the season.
Simeon Peter, a servant* and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have received a faith as precious as ours through the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ:
May grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by* his own glory and goodness. Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants in the divine nature. For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual* affection, and mutual* affection with love. For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For anyone who lacks these things is short-sighted and blind, and is forgetful of the cleansing of past sins. Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble. For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.
And before anyone says it, I know that biblical scholars conclude it is nearly certain that the apostle Peter did not write the letter from which I quote.
