People GET READY

Dear Cliff Temple Family,

The Advent season is a celebration of the now and the not yet. The word Advent, from the Latin word adventus, recalls Jesus, the Word made flesh, who came in the manger, died for our sin, rose from the grave, and ascended into heaven where he lives and reigns forever. This is the story that shapes our faith. But Advent is also filled with expectation that his coming will, one day, give way to his coming again when he will judge the living and the dead in a renewed creation where sickness and death are no more.

Advent marks the beginning of a new year in the life of the church. Each Sunday during Advent, and on Christmas Eve, a candle is lit in anticipation of the light that grows ever brighter with the coming of Christ. In the sending of Jesus, God goes on a mission to redeem the people who walk in darkness and have seen a great light. Three of the four Advent candles (Weeks 1, 2, and 4) are purple, the color of penitence. Week 3’s candle is pink, a symbol of joy. On the third Sunday, it’s as if we’ve turned the corner toward the celebration of Christmas to come which is why Hanging of the Green will be so special this year.

The Christmas season officially begins on December 24, with the lighting of the central candle on the Advent display. The color of the central candle is white, symbolizing the connection between Christmas and Easter— Jesus’ birth and resurrection. While the commercial holiday festivities are ending, the Christian celebration of Christmas is just beginning. This celebration goes on for 12 days, ending with the Epiphany on January 6.

While the demands of the season urge us to speed up, Advent and Christmas invite us to slow down, yielding to the process of preparation which, when we think about it, is utterly theological. The Swiss theologian Karl Barth noted that in life we should do theology and only theology. Theology should always be in our hearts and minds. Really? We’re not theologians. Or are we?

Theology is not just a subject for the preacher. It’s the study of the nature of Immanuel, the God who is with us even in our preparations, which if we slow down and think about it, are utterly theological. So, people, get ready! From the parties you plan, the presents you buy, the crafts you make, the cookies you bake and the prayers you pray (in hopes that you’ve not burned the next batch) let the season find you “doing theology” in the now and the not yet.

Jesus Only,
Gannon