Things are changing. Are you ready?
This week the Church Calendar makes a dramatic shift. Advent will soon be here. The word Advent means simply “arrival”, and this neglected season holds wonderful and transforming gifts, if we will only prepare ourselves to receive them.
Divine Time-Keeping
The Church Calendar may feel like stuffy, dry tradition to some, but for those who have taken the time to journey mindfully through the year, guided by its rhythms, it offers wonderful treasures: a deepening of faith, a rich connection with the Scriptures and their story of salvation, a transforming encounter with the living Christ.
The rhythm of seasons, festivals, readings and worship patterns that the Calendar provides reminds us that life does not have to be driven only by linear, chronos time (as the Greeks called it) – deadlines, “time-is-money' stress, and racing the clock. In God's reign there is a different kind of time – kairos time – the appointed moment, the significant season, the moment of God's divine purpose. When we allow kairos to invade our obsession with chronos, we discover God at work in surprising places and ways, and we grow more aware of the constant rhythm of God's Spirit at work in our world and our lives. This is what our worship, and the Church Calendar, is meant to do for us. And the first season – Advent – is the best place to start.
The God Who Arrives
Advent is often seen as simply a preparation time for Christmas, but it is much more than that. Advent leads us into an encounter with the God who arrives – the God who refuses to remain distant and uninvolved, but who steps into our world, and gets up close and personal with us. The journey through Advent is intended to open us to God's coming in every moment, in every circumstance and in every relationship.
Through the readings and ancient pattern of worship, we are reminded that God has come to us – throughout human history, and ultimately in Christ. We are opened to the truth that God is coming to us now – and we are called into worship that opens us to this coming, not just on Sunday, but every day. And, finally, we are encouraged to look ahead to the hope we have in Christ, the promise of God's reign – God will come to us.
In the midst of Christmas preparations, end of year parties and mad shopping sprees, Advent calls us to slow down, to wait for God's coming, and to be ready to receive our God. In the midst of poverty, economic crisis and massive social justice concerns, Advent reminds us that God has not abandoned us, but is at work bringing “good news to the poor”, and justice to the earth. There was never a time when we needed this Gospel message more.
So, let us sing from the longing in our hearts, “O come, O come, Immanuel”, and let us be ready to welcome God whenever and wherever this divine arriving occurs.
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John van de Laar is a Methodist minister, liturgical consultant and the author of the book Food for the Road – Life Lesson from the Lord’s Table. He holds a Master’s Degree in theology from UNISA, and is the founder of Sacredise.com, an international worship training and resourcing ministry. John is married to Debbie, and they have two sons.
Visit www.sacredise.com for more articles by John, as well as resources for personal and public worship – music, prayers, liturgies, images and drama scripts.