Cartoon by The Reverend Jay Sidebotham
Dear Friends,
In three decades of being Episcopalian, I have experienced our tradition relax substantially in its legalism towards my favorite season. My childhood parish was full of notorious “Advent Police” who enforced the Advent Rules and ensured that not a carol was sung, not an ornament hung, not a single light strung until Christmas Eve. No exceptions. Thus my personal sense of piety was scandalized when the cathedral I attended in college casually slipped “Hark the Herald” into worship during the early days of December. Now such blasphemous infidelity is increasingly commonplace, in ancillary parish gatherings if not the liturgy itself.
For better or worse, the church has lightened up a bit over the years, and so have I. Age and experience teach us that the seasons of our lives — in and out of church — are filled with paradox and impurity. Advent is no different. This season plants us squarely within the juxtaposition between light and darkness, quiet and chaos, waiting and working, gratitude and grief. The good news of the Incarnation is that God in Christ meets us at the very place of our need: shielding the joyous, comforting the brokenhearted, calming the restless, and animating the complacent. Even as the righteous congregation dutifully abstains from strains of “Gloria in excelsis,” the choirs of earth and of angels must still rehearse, after all.
As we await Christ’s coming into our world once more, God’s message to some will echo the old adage, “Don’t just stand there; do something!” For others it will be the opposite: “Don’t just do something; stand there!” Regardless, the waiting we are all called to in this season of Advent is meant to be active, expectant, and mindful. This Sunday’s Gospel reading commands us to “keep awake” — awake to the needs of our neighbors, awake to the conscience of our souls, awake to the heartbeat of God.
Advent is a wake up call. I invite you to also consider it your casting call for the greatest drama the world has ever seen. Dress rehearsals start this Sunday, and everyone has a part to play. From carols and concerts to parties and pageants, opportunities both active and contemplative abound in these holy days. I ask you to view our full list of offerings and mark your calendars for the ones that speak to you. Whether you are with us in person or online, please invite your friends, and make plans to join us as we prepare to welcome the Savior of the World, whose love redeems our every imperfection.
Leonard Cohen’s words resound in these days:
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in
Beloved, a light shines in the darkness, and the darkness will never overcome it. Come let us shine together in this crowning season. Let us rejoice in the law of Love that rules over Advent and will one day usher us into eternity.
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Blessings,
A Prayer for a New Day
I invite you to say this prayer from the Book of Common Prayer with me each new day in Advent as we listen for God's direction.
This is another day, O Lord. I know not what it will bring forth, but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be. If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely. If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly. If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently. And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly. Make these words more than words, and give me the Spirit of Jesus. Amen.
