Let There Be Light

Advent 1A 2019

 Fr. Dale Matson

Because this is the first Sunday in Advent and the first Sunday of the new church year, I would like to begin with some remarks that will help us orient ourselves in the church calendar. I know you have heard some of this before but it bears repeating. The church year is celebrated in three-year cycles and this is the first Sunday of year A.

In year A the Gospel readings are primarily from St. Matthew. While the readings change for the first Sunday in Advent for years A, B, and C, Our collect is the same for all three years. Thomas Cranmer wrote this particular collect and there is a theme established immediately by Cranmer’s collect. “Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen”.   The first of four advent candles in our wreath is lit representing expectant hope and is sometimes referred to as the “Prophesy Candle”.

The Old Testament reading is from Isaiah who foretold the birth of Christ, “For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. O house of Jacob, come and let us walk In the light of the LORD.   

The circular wreath that surrounds the candles represents eternity.

So what is this season of advent about? Advent is the season of light, life, death and eternal life. The season is a time of preparation for the Nativity of Christ and serves as a dual reminder of the original waiting that was done by the Hebrews for the birth of the Messiah as well as the waiting that Christians today endure as they anticipate the second coming of Jesus the Christ.  We state both of these beliefs every Sunday when we stand and recite the Nicene Creed.  His first coming is stated, “Who for us and for our salvation came down from Heaven”.  His first coming is as Savior.  Our belief in His second coming is stated, “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead”.   His second coming is as a Judge.  In a way, the season of Advent reminds me of Lent. In Advent we anticipate the Birth of Christ in Lent we anticipate Christ’s death and rebirth.  Both seasons use shades of purple for the liturgical color.  Both seasons include fasts and both seasons deal with penitence and preparation.  I think however that there is an anticipatory JOY in advent and an anticipatory SORROW in Lent. 

Is Advent just about the return of Christ or is it also about what we are to be doing while we await His return? My question to you is this.  What are you anticipating during Advent?  Are you looking forward to Christ’s return with JOY?  What kind of plans are you making and what are you doing?  Are you immersed in a paralyzed anxiety anticipating an Apocalypse or are you celebrating an Eschatology that calls you to action?

St. Paul says in his epistle lesson today, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. While we wait for His return, we are called to action.  We are not called to worry.  As we say in our concluding prayer of the Liturgy we are called to do the work He has given us to do. What work has our Lord Given you to do?  The word “Liturgy” itself means “work”.  What are we doing with our gifts and talents?  Life moves so very fast.  There is not much time left.  Each of our own end times draws ever nearer.  Our collect today calls us to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life. Think about that statement for a moment. We are to stop acting like sinners and start preparing ourselves for a holy life.

We celebrated the 56th anniversary of the assassination of President John Kennedy. He was only 46 when he died. His brother Robert was assassinated at age 42 and John Kennedy Jr. died at age 38. These three men were rich, famous and powerful yet they all died in a moment; in the twinkling of an eye.

There was a sign in the sacristy at the chapel. The sign read, “Preach this sermon as if it were your first, your last, and your only sermon.” I say to you, “Live this life as if it is your only life you have to live because it is.” Put away works of darkness. Think about all of the things we do to entertain ourselves. How much of our life is spent amusing ourselves? Even worse, how much of our lives are spent simply passing the time? I must confess, that I spend far too much time watching the progress bar on software downloads to my computer. What about “Solitaire”? What about “Everquest”, the fantasy role-playing game? What about Internet chat rooms and porn sights? What about twitter and Facebook? These things called social media are like walking into quicksand.

The more you struggle to free yourself, the faster you sink. Once you realize how much of your life has been taken over by the works of darkness the more you realize you cannot extricate yourself. Jesus, deliver me. Jesus, come help me. The blessing is that we have time on our hands. The curse is that we have time on our hands but we are not using the time wisely. I would term this life of virtual living ISOMETRIC not isotonic. Isometric means there is effort made but no work performed.

My son Zachary played Everquest for hours on end in college. Some of his classmates dropped out of school because of this game. His fiancé, now my daughter in law, called the Internet the devil at the time because of Zach’s obsession with it. For some folks, it could be. On the Internet, you are never more than a couple of mouse clicks from a place you shouldn’t go.

  If we consume cable news, we must feel that the world is quickly going to hell in a hand basket.   Amid global warming, terrorism, The impeachment hearings, crime, diseases that are resistant to antibiotics, aging, personal health what else could go wrong?

In short, I ask a simple question. “What are you doing with your time? Are you a grown up and a good steward of your time? I know more professionals that never seem to have enough time. They never seem to be able to get closure. It is because they are wasting their time. A Christian life is disciplined and has priorities. But Fr. Dale, I don’t have time to exercise. Really? Is it because you are too busy watching reruns of the food or the golf channel. Recent research has demonstrated that exercise is better than prescription medication for things like heart disease, anxiety and diabetes. There is an excellent book just published by Dr. David Sinclair. “Lifespan: Why We Age and Why We Don’t Have To.

There is a great deal of research in the book. The main hypothesis of the book is that aging is itself a disease and while we worry about high blood pressure, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, aging itself is a risk factor. Some of the topics include eating less, eating a plant-based diet, aerobic exercise, high intensity interval training (HIIT) even for those suffering from CAD and fasting. The book also talks about autophagy. This is the process where our body scavenges tired worn out cells that could create problems down the road. This also occurs while we are fasting.We can’t control our genetics but we can control our epigenetics, the things that turn on and off our genes.

What are you anticipating?  Does it produce anxiety? Focus on the return of your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This will promote personal peace, which is a condition much deeper than where sweat comes from. 

True anti stress medication is attending to the Lord’s business until He returns.  Part of one of the Morning Prayer collects states, “To know Him is eternal life and to serve Him is perfect freedom.”  What can relieve the stress of daily living better than that?

"But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware; keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake-- for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake."

Finally, each one of us is in the midst of his or her own end times”.  Each generation is the last generation.  Christ has come for all people before us who have died in Him.  He has come for many of our parents and will come for us too.  In John 14:2-3 Our Lord states, “In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”  You can be reactive and wait for Christ to come for you or you can be proactive and go to Christ.  What do our readings add to offer us direction here?

Our Psalm says, “I was glad when they said to me, *"Let us go to the house of the LORD." Peace be within your walls *and quietness within your towers for my brethren and companions' sake, *I pray for your prosperity. Because of the house of the LORD our God, *I will seek to do you good." Amen.