Reclaiming Advent

Advent and Lent are two of my favorite times of the church year.  These long-standing church seasons provide time to step back, to reflect, and to prepare for that which is to come.  Times of self-examination, repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation are all a part of these particular seasons.  I don't know about you, but I need those times.

Advent, for the church, has long been a time to prepare for both the first and second comings of Christ.  The church is blessed because it has a plethora of Scripture that is both prophetic and apocalyptic, both of which prepare us for what is coming.

We seem to live in a time when there is little self-reflection.  We don't spend much time preparing.  We want forgiveness without the hard work of repentance.  We want a Savior in a cuddly crib, not a Savior on a cross.  There are deep theological meanings to both Advent and Lent.  For some reason, the church both neglects and rejects those deep meanings.

I have now served a number of church as a staff musician and as pastor.  In each church, there has been a major lack of understanding about Advent and Lent.  Apparently, few people want to talk about the first or second coming of Christ anymore; even fewer people are willing to sing or pray about it.  We want to skip right over it; let's talk about Mary and Joseph and Jesus and shepherds and wise men; let's sing carols about an event that hasn't happened yet.  Don't even get me started on the unfortunate co-mingling of the Gospel accounts of the birth of Christ, so that we get one convoluted narrative!

Every year, I teach on Advent.  I try to explain the meaning of this season.  I try to provide reflection upon it.  We light candles on the Advent wreath.  We use purple or blue as a color to signify repentance.  We read and reflect on Biblical texts that assist us in preparing for the birth of Christ.  And yet, on an annual basis, I get complaints from people about singing songs related to the text of the day, of not singing "the Christmas carols we know and love."  I'm all for singing Christmas carols; they are among some of my favorite tunes and texts throughout the church year - but it's not time for that yet!  There's a time and a place for those texts and tunes, and it is during Christmastide.  It is a struggle for many of our church members, for musicians, and others - because that music is both beautiful and prolific.

There are many reasons why I think that we (the Church) do not want to reclaim Advent.  Of all that I can think of (most are so asinine that I won't even mention them in this blog post), the one that I have been reflecting upon the most is that Christmas is "ours."  I am hearing these days, with increasing frequency, about how there are people who are very upset that our government isn't Christian; that God is being taken out of schools.  Christmas is our one holiday that belongs to the church, and we don't want to let it go!

Now, I'm not suggesting that we let go of Christmas at all.  What I am suggesting is this:  if the government is not a Christian government, I can still vote for those who share my beliefs; if God and prayer are not a part of the morning routine at school, it does not stop me from praying.  My religious beliefs are protected by the constitution, as are those of people with a faith different from mine.  Not having the Ten Commandments on a monument in the county courthouse does not stop me from following them myself.  Frankly, I think most of these things that have people incensed these days are out of our control, but I also believe that, for people of Christian faith, they are cop-outs.  For decades, we have simply sat back on our laurels and believed that, if we said "God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, or if we place the Ten Commandments outside of the courtroom, people would somehow learn and take our beliefs to heart by osmosis.  We don't want to do the hard work of one-on-one, personal evangelism.

Those thoughts lead me back to the point of this blog post.  I have very limited control over what happens in government, or in schools, or in the public sector; the church also has very limited control over those things.  However, the church has great control over that which it celebrates.  I don't bemoan "God being taken out of our country" or "God being taken out of our schools" (as though God's Holy Spirit could be limited or removed from either of those entities).  I do, however, bemoan the fact that the church allows the culture to dictate that which is "ours."  Christmastide is the season from December 25 to January 6 (that's where we get the Twelve Days of Christmas).  Stores have been selling Christmas decorations since July (don't even get me started on the Christian organization Hobby Lobby...), most towns have had some sort of Christmas celebration already; festivals of trees have been happening; schools are having their "Christmas/winter concerts; Santa's shown up.  That's the way of the world...and the church simply sits by and falls into step with the world.  Christmas doesn't belong to "us" anymore, but Advent does, and always will.  If the church wants to bemoan anything, let's bemoan what we have truly lost.  We are to live in the world, but not be of it.  Advent teaches us this, as does Lent.  Will we ever reclaim Advent as the church, and show the world that we follow a Savior worth waiting for?  Will we ever reclaim Advent for our sake, and for the sake of the world?

Thanks be to God for time to celebrate hope, peace, joy and love!  There is still time for every heart to prepare Him room; then, heaven and nature will sing together, and the glory of God will be revealed.  I can't wait!....but I will, for the sake of Christ and his bride, the church.