Homily, Advent, 11/28/21
Jeremiah 33: 12-16
Ps. Luke 3: 4-6
1 Thessalonians 3: 6-13
Luke 1: 5-25
Do you remember the song Anticipation, by Carly Simon? It starts out with the lyric, “We can never know about the days to come, but we think about them anyway.” It acknowledges that the future holds a large element of chance, so we really can’t predict it. By the end of the song, however, she has come to the conclusion that we can help create our own future by living fully in the present moment. By being present to one another in love, we use our time together the best we can, and so the song ends by repeating the beautiful line, “These are the good old days…. These are the good old days.” In other words, we shouldn’t procrastinate. We can’t wait until the perfect moment. This is the time to listen to one another and treat one another with respect and helpfulness. This is the time to love one another with all our hearts. These are the good old days.
I think the same is true about the season of Advent. The word “Advent” is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming,” which is a translation of the Greek word parousia. It refers to arrival, waiting, preparing, anticipation. There are elements both of anticipation and memory to Advent. We treasure the memory of the birth of Jesus, God’s human presence in the world, and remember how he taught us to make God continually more present, by loving one another and working to make sure everyone shares in Creation’s riches. We also look forward to creating the Beloved Community, and come to realize that this moment now is when we can most make a difference in bringing love and justice to life. Part of life is chance. But we help create our own future, we help bring the Love of God to reality, by looking out for one another’s rights and putting aside our own selfishness, today, every day, not waiting for the perfect time to arrive. These are the good old days. We are making them the good old days by learning to listen to God and changing ourselves to love more and better. Advent gives us four weeks to think about what is still painful and missing in the world, and helps us think about making changes in our own lives to help make all our relationships more caring and just.
Our readings help us focus on our ancestors in the faith, and their example in bringing God’s human presence to life. Today we heard about the courage and faith of Elizabeth and Zechariah, and the long wait they endured, until finally being reassured that they would play a vital role in preparing the world for a crucial moment, a time when God’s human messengers would speak truth to power. In the coming weeks, we will remember the roles their son, John the Baptist, and Joseph, and especially Mary had to play in revealing the reality of God’s love. We will recall the bravery they showed in going against social conventions to live their faith. And they will provide strong role models for us as we strive to bring God’s love to life in our everyday interactions.
In our first reading today we heard from the prophet Jeremiah, who wrote as one of the people going through, and recovering after, the Babylonian exile. Part of his mission was to communicate hope in God to the people of Israel and Judah after Jerusalem had been destroyed. As we heard, he spoke in anticipation of the restoration of integrity and justice to the people’s land. And he spoke of God’s unending love for them, whatever happened. God still loves us, he said. Let’s make these days the good old days.
And Paul, also, in his letter to the Thessalonians, spoke of his joy in hearing of the faith and love of the people of Thessalonia, despite the pain of their separation. You are making God’s love alive in your community, he told the Thessalonians. I am overjoyed to hear it. Jesus’ teachings are alive in you. You are working to make sure these are the good old days.
So it comes back to us. How do we make sure these are the good old days, for everyone in our society, especially for those whom the system has been rigged against? Where can we start in our everyday lives? Can we take some time this Advent in prayer and meditation to make ourselves more aware and compassionate? Can we read and inform ourselves of ways to help correct injustices? We are called to help bring Christ to life in our individual lives. How do we help make these the good old days for ourselves and others? What do you think?
Jeremiah 33: 12-16
Ps. Luke 3: 4-6
1 Thessalonians 3: 6-13
Luke 1: 5-25
Do you remember the song Anticipation, by Carly Simon? It starts out with the lyric, “We can never know about the days to come, but we think about them anyway.” It acknowledges that the future holds a large element of chance, so we really can’t predict it. By the end of the song, however, she has come to the conclusion that we can help create our own future by living fully in the present moment. By being present to one another in love, we use our time together the best we can, and so the song ends by repeating the beautiful line, “These are the good old days…. These are the good old days.” In other words, we shouldn’t procrastinate. We can’t wait until the perfect moment. This is the time to listen to one another and treat one another with respect and helpfulness. This is the time to love one another with all our hearts. These are the good old days.
I think the same is true about the season of Advent. The word “Advent” is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming,” which is a translation of the Greek word parousia. It refers to arrival, waiting, preparing, anticipation. There are elements both of anticipation and memory to Advent. We treasure the memory of the birth of Jesus, God’s human presence in the world, and remember how he taught us to make God continually more present, by loving one another and working to make sure everyone shares in Creation’s riches. We also look forward to creating the Beloved Community, and come to realize that this moment now is when we can most make a difference in bringing love and justice to life. Part of life is chance. But we help create our own future, we help bring the Love of God to reality, by looking out for one another’s rights and putting aside our own selfishness, today, every day, not waiting for the perfect time to arrive. These are the good old days. We are making them the good old days by learning to listen to God and changing ourselves to love more and better. Advent gives us four weeks to think about what is still painful and missing in the world, and helps us think about making changes in our own lives to help make all our relationships more caring and just.
Our readings help us focus on our ancestors in the faith, and their example in bringing God’s human presence to life. Today we heard about the courage and faith of Elizabeth and Zechariah, and the long wait they endured, until finally being reassured that they would play a vital role in preparing the world for a crucial moment, a time when God’s human messengers would speak truth to power. In the coming weeks, we will remember the roles their son, John the Baptist, and Joseph, and especially Mary had to play in revealing the reality of God’s love. We will recall the bravery they showed in going against social conventions to live their faith. And they will provide strong role models for us as we strive to bring God’s love to life in our everyday interactions.
In our first reading today we heard from the prophet Jeremiah, who wrote as one of the people going through, and recovering after, the Babylonian exile. Part of his mission was to communicate hope in God to the people of Israel and Judah after Jerusalem had been destroyed. As we heard, he spoke in anticipation of the restoration of integrity and justice to the people’s land. And he spoke of God’s unending love for them, whatever happened. God still loves us, he said. Let’s make these days the good old days.
And Paul, also, in his letter to the Thessalonians, spoke of his joy in hearing of the faith and love of the people of Thessalonia, despite the pain of their separation. You are making God’s love alive in your community, he told the Thessalonians. I am overjoyed to hear it. Jesus’ teachings are alive in you. You are working to make sure these are the good old days.
So it comes back to us. How do we make sure these are the good old days, for everyone in our society, especially for those whom the system has been rigged against? Where can we start in our everyday lives? Can we take some time this Advent in prayer and meditation to make ourselves more aware and compassionate? Can we read and inform ourselves of ways to help correct injustices? We are called to help bring Christ to life in our individual lives. How do we help make these the good old days for ourselves and others? What do you think?
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