Happy New Year! That’s right, you read that correctly.
While it sounds like an odd thing to say in late November/early December, according to our liturgical calendar, this Sunday is the beginning of a New Year. The liturgical calendar begins not on January 1 (which, by the way, is a holy day known as The Feast of the Holy Name of our Lord Jesus Christ), but on the First Sunday of Advent - which this year falls on December 1.
Because of this, things will be different in our worship this week. The altar hangings will be changed to blue. The advent wreath will be out with the first candle lit. The prayers we use will be different as we move from Rite II (contemporary language, and what we generally use on Sundays) to Rite I (traditional language). The service altogether will have a different feel to it as we begin to hear the themes of this season emerge.
The season of Advent, is often characterized as a season of preparation - more specifically the season we prepare for Christmas. The Latin word from which Advent is derived means “coming.” In this season we prepare for the Lord to come amongst us - both for the first and season time. The Collect of the Day for this Sunday (which was once the prayer for the entire season, not just the first Sunday) draws our attention not to the first coming of Jesus, but to the second:
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 liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, p. 159).
This season, which has important themes and tones beyond preparing for Christmas, is about preparing ourselves to receive the indwelling of God in our very midst.
As we enter into this holy season, it is important for us to be mindful about what we are preparing for. In the same way we prepare our homes for holiday feasts and celebrations, we must prepare our interior lives for the same. We must prepare ourselves to celebrate the glorious Incarnation of God, and we must prepare ourselves to welcome with gladness the second coming of our Lord - that day where we may without shame or fear stand before the judgement seat of God and rejoice to behold God’s appearing.
During this time may we call find ways to keep the season of Advent. I invite you to spend time in prayer; listen to Advent Hymns; participate in our joint Advent Quiet Day with the Church of the Redeemer; take a daily mediation book from the parish library; take time to slow down, read, and reflect on how you can welcome the once and future coming of God into your life again. Throughout the season we will be sharing resources in our weekly update and on the parish Facebook page. There will also be a variety of resources on the ministry table in the parish hall. If you need help in connecting with this season, know I am happy to help as I can.
Blessings to us all as we keep this holy season of Advent.