Advent 1C: Luke 21:25-36
Advent stands at odds with the tranquility our culture hopes for this time of year. The coming of the Son of Man will yank us off the hamster wheel of life.
Look at the fir tree and all the evergreens. As soon as they sprout ornaments, you can see for yourselves and know that Christmas is already near.
For many people, this is not the beginning of a season of expectation. By the first Sunday of Advent, the culture has beaten the church to the punch. We’ve long known that Christmas is imminent—our capitalist society has been telling us at least since September, when the days left for Christmas shopping dipped into the double digits. Hurry up and buy!
The signs are everywhere: December 25 is coming. Maybe this excites us, as we picture idyllic winter landscapes and family gatherings replete with laughter, gifts, crackling fires, and beautifully decked halls. Or perhaps we’re nervous, trying to figure out how to rob Peter to pay Paul so that we can afford the gifts under the tree. For some, this time of year magnifies the dysfunction of fractured families, the absence of warm family gatherings. Others grieve the recent (or not so recent) loss of a loved one who always made this time of year enjoyable, making their absence especially palpable. The signs are there to remind us of all these things.
