What is Advent anyway?

Today, is the last day of November.  Yesterday, Christians all around the world celebrated not an ending but a new beginning:  the beginning of the season of Advent.  Some folks know that Advent focuses on expectation and anticipation of Christ’s birth as we near Christmas.  This is part of the story, but there’s more to Advent.

The word “Advent” is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming,” which is a translation of the Greek word parousia. Scholars believe that during the 4^th and 5^th centuries in Spain and Gaul, Advent was a season of preparation for the baptism of new Christians at the January feast of Epiphany, the celebration of God’s incarnation represented by the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus (see Matthew 2:1), his baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist (see John 1:29), and his first miracle at Cana (see John 2:1). During this season of preparation, Christians would spend 40 days in penance, prayer, and fasting to prepare for this celebration; originally, there was little connection between Advent and Christmas.

Advent is not just about looking back and remembering the birth of Christ Jesus and the preparation that was made for centuries for His coming.  No, Advent is also a time to look ahead as God’s people wait for the return of Christ in glory to consummate his eternal kingdom. The church is in a similar situation to Israel at the end of the Old Testament: in exile, waiting and hoping in prayerful expectation for the coming of the Messiah. Israel looked back to God’s past gracious actions on their behalf in leading them out of Egypt in the Exodus, and on this basis they called for God once again to act for them. In the same way, the church, during Advent, looks back upon Christ’s coming in celebration while at the same time looking forward in eager anticipation to the coming of Christ’s kingdom when he returns for his people. In this light, the Advent hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” perfectly represents the church’s cry during the Advent season:

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

Have a good week and a holy Advent season.  -  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   O Lord, who has come and who is coming:  we wait with eager longing for your coming in this holy season.  Give us hearts attune to your Spirit to see you among us even in the things small and insignificant;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.  

"No Problem"

I have a pet peeve that irritates me.  One of the things that I was taught as a child is to say “thank you.”      Though there have been times I have not expressed  well those two words,  I try to do that with great regularity.    One of the things that I have noticed in recent years is that when I say “thank you” the person I am thanking says back to me  “no problem”.    That irritates me.  I never said that there was a problem or I had a complaint.  I never stated that I was upset about something.  Why do people choose to say “no problem” when I say “thank you”?    Yes, I know that some would say that I am as old as dirt but I was taught to say “you are welcome” when someone says “thank you.”  

While I try to say “thank you” for those little and big things that people do all the time, I am the first to say that there have been times in my life when I am certain that I have been slow or even blind to the fact that I should say “thank you” to God.  Every day of my life and every moment of my existence, God gives gifts, blessings, and bounty in ways seen and unseen, in things small and ways beyond measure.    In this new time in my life called retirement or semi-retirement, I am trying to spend more time thanking God in my daily prayers and in those short prayers I make as I gaze at an afternoon sunset and walk through the joys of each day. 

While it irritates me when someone reciprocates my “thank you” with a response of “no problem”,  it is “no problem” for God to keep on giving and giving day after day to persons who say thanks and those who do not.    God gives again and again to those who say thanks and those who do not.  Thank you, God for all your goodness.    Have a good week and a blessed Thanksgiving.  I thank you for reading.  -  Pastor Randy Wall 

Prayer:   Living Lord,  all praise, honor, glory, and thanksgiving be to you, the giver of all good things.  Forgive me for the times that I have been blind to your goodness and had an ungrateful heart.    Thank you, God;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.  

What Are You Doing to Build the Kingdom?

Wes died too young when he died earlier this year after being hit by a car on the streets of New York City      While some might not consider 27 years old young, it was way too young to have life end.      I never met Wes, but I wish I had.  I became familiar with him a few months ago when he was nominated posthumously  to be the “outstanding young alumnus” for my alma mater, Methodist University in Fayetteville.    I serve on the Awards Committee for the board of directors of the Methodist University Alumni Association.       At the time of his death, Wes was a golfing pro at a country club in New Jersey.  He was such a great golfing instructor that Golf Digest named him early this year one of the best under 40 years of age.

After his death, they placed a small monument near the practice tees of Plainfield Country Club to remember Wes.  On the monument, they placed a question that Wes asked himself and asked others every day:  “What are you doing today to build the kingdom?”     Wes was not talking about his own kingdom or even the kingdom of golf.  No, Wes was talking about the kingdom of God. 

What are you doing today to build the kingdom?      Every week in worship, we pray a prayer that Jesus taught his disciples.  In that prayer, we say,  “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done….”  What are you and I doing today to bring the kingdom of God into our world and into our hearts?     That is a question that a 27 year old man named Wes asked himself on the golf links and in his life.  I think it is a good question for you and I to ponder daily too.  Have a good week.-  Pastor Randy Wall 

Prayer:   Lord God,  I thank you for the lessons of life that we learn on the golf course and in other places.  I thank you that through grace you allow me to be a part of your kingdom.  Help me day by day to so live that your kingdom might be seen and known in this world;   through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.  

Are You On Your Way to Church?

“Are you on your way to church?”, he asked.    It seemed like an appropriate question as we waited in line at the convenience store.  It was Sunday morning, and I was dressed in a suit and tie. 

“Yes, I am.   How about you?  What are you going to  be up to today?”,  I said.    As we both waited for the person in front of us to buy their lottery tickets, he said,  “Oh,  I am going to spend some time in the Word and probably later invite some friends over.”  

He took care of his business at the checkout counter.  As I prepared to go up to the counter, he did something that I did not expect.  He came back  to me and warmly shook my hand and said,  “Bless you, in the name of Jesus.  Have a blessed day.”  And then, he went on his way out of the door and I went up to the counter.

I have thought about that chance encounter in the convenience store in some depth since that day.   I have thought about what I said and what he said.  I was moved by his warm handshake and his blessing on me in the name of Jesus.  I have also thought about the fact that though he told me that he would be spending some time in the Word (the Bible), he did not say anything about spending some time in church.  What is it that is keeping that man and the thousands like him away from church Sunday after Sunday?     Why is it that that people in church do not spend time in the Word and persons like that man not in church spend time in the Word?     Is his absence in church that Sunday a result of  his own laziness or is it the poor  witness of people like me who are in church? 

In Matthew 7: 16-17,  Jesus says:    ¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.       It is not only important for me to be in church, but it is also important that the love of Christ shared in the church to be in me.   Have a joy-filled week.-  Randy Walla

Prayer:   Lord God,  thank you for loving me despite my many sins and failures.   Through the power of your Spirit, help me to so believe in my heart in Christ that his love overflows through my love I show  to those I meet every day;  through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.  

What Time Is It?

I don’t know about you, but I am still adjusting to the recent time change.    In the Spring, we move our clocks ahead one hour for Daylight Savings Time.   In the Fall, we move our clocks back one hour to standard time.      Though we call that time period from Spring to Fall “Daylight Savings time”,  it really does not save time but simply tinkers with the clock so that it is daylight later in the day.    A time change certainly does not  increase the hours of daylight that the plants or crops  receive or that we have to do the things we need to do or want to do. 

As my wife will tell you, I am a person of routine and habit when it comes to my sleep and many other activities.   Therefore, it takes me a while to get used to a time change whether we are moving our clocks ahead one hour or back one hour.     When you think about it, moving the clocks back an hour in the Fall means that day is technically the longest day of the year. 

One of the things I like about a time change is that it forces me to deal with time.    I have to admit that most of the time I take time for granted.  Time is something we can spend, but it is not something we can buy or even sell.    How we spend our time is up to each one of us.      Time is simply a gift given to us by God.   While we might tinker with time through our time zones and our time changes,   God is the one who ultimately created time.   I am reminded of these words from Psalm 90 where we read:

Lord, you have been our dwelling place
    throughout all generations.
² Before the mountains were born
    or you brought forth the whole world,
    from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

³ You turn people back to dust,
    saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”
⁴ A thousand years in your sight
    are like a day that has just gone by,
    or like a watch in the night.
⁵ Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death—
    they are like the new grass of the morning:
⁶ In the morning it springs up new,
    but by evening it is dry and withered.

 

Whatever time is it, enjoy the time and relish the gift of each and every minute and day.  Have a joy-filled week.-  Pastor Randy Wall

Prayer:   Lord and God, thank you for the gift of time.    Forgive me for the times that I waste it.  Help me to live each day and moment with the precious gift that it is;  through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.