THE ADVENT PROJECT

Why The Advent Project?

Because we can!  And we ought!!

 

Christianity long ago lost Advent to the Christmas culture.  The Christmas decorations lurking in the back corners of supermarkets and home supply stores from late August, join with boutiques, pharmacies, and other retail establishments, just waiting for Halloween to pass so that they can all explode into their full manifestation. We begin to live within an unrelenting barrage of television and other electronic media advertisements and music for the holiday season.  Against all this the Church has little defense against the global culture of Christmas eclipsing the season of Advent, and its focus - the manifestation of God’s reign.

Many congregations simply surrender to the Christmas culture and hold such services as “Lessons and Carols” as early as the First Sunday of Advent.  Certainly, Advent calendars, replete with chocolate treats, are little more than a “count down” to Christmas. Advent spirituality is reduced to pleas to take time out to reflect on these things amidst the bustle of the season. Thus, by the beginning of December we are well on our way to Bethlehem. The problem with this, of course, is that the primary focus of Advent is the full Reign of God to come. This is the exclusive focus of the Scripture readings from the Sunday after All Saints’ Day (November 1) until the last week of Advent.

In its origin, the season of Advent was nearly seven weeks.  By the time of the 16th century however, few remembered that Advent had once been longer. The original intent of the season is to look to the end, to the fulfillment of the Mystery in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The focus is on the Christian hope for the Reign of God - looking to the end, to the eternal moment that makes sense of all our moments.

The kingdom parables of the long summer and autumnal season after Pentecost follow Jesus around the countryside,  Now the kingdom parables take on a harvest-time or in-gathering and fulfillment character. And this Gospel focus is supported by prophetic and apostolic readings. These themes of our worship call us not so much to cringe before an angry Judge who will wreak apocalyptic havoc on a creation gone bad, but to our responsibilities as agents in-Christ helping participate in God’s reign for a renewed creation. We are encouraged to look toward a vision, perhaps best realized, when it is set to the glorious music that nearly everyone knows from Handel’s Messiah: “the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever.”  

Amen to Advent.