Advent in the Midst

At Rockland Community Church there is a longstanding tradition of having an Advent Wreath, lighting the Advent Candles, and having Advent Readings each Sunday during Advent.  This tradition was completely new to me when I first arrived in 2007.  Since then I have come to appreciate it and have done my best to tie my sermons in to the Advent themes of Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace.

I am now preparing to celebrate my last Advent Season with the people of Rockland Community Church.  All week I've been trying to come up with an Advent sermon series title.  I realize most preachers probably had their Advent or Christmas sermon series all figured out long ago ... but here I am, 48 hours from preaching on Sunday and I've only just decided upon a title.  I wish I could say this isn't par for the course!

In any case, I've decided to call the sermon series, "Advent in the Midst."  This Sunday's sermon will be titled, "Hope in the Midst."  Next week's, "Love in the Midst." And so on.  I may not end up preaching on the third Sunday, so "Joy in the Midst" might get skipped or maybe I'll combine it with "Peace in the Midst" on the last Sunday of Advent.

On a whim, I googled "Advent in the Midst."  The results were instructive.

Advent in the midst "of crisis and upheaval."
Advent in the midst "of the pain."
Advent in the midst "of the commotion."
Advent in the midst "of the secular excesses."
Advent in the midst "of a world where God is seldom felt."
Advent in the midst "of the distractions and busyness."
Advent in the midst "of all that is going on around us."
Advent in the midst "of all the hectic holiday preparations."
Advent in the midst "of difficulty in the world."
Advent in the midst "of these shallow and uncertain times."

Wow, can you identify with any of these?  I sure can.

We live in the midst of two Advents.  During the Advent Season we look back to the First Advent, to Jesus' birth -- the coming of the promised Messiah.  And we also, or at least we should, look forward to the Second Advent, to his promised return.  And during this in between time, we would also do well to remember that we are not alone -- in the midst -- because the Holy Spirit abides in us and Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father interceding for us.

I'm thinking about blogging through Advent this year, but I'm not sure I will have the time or discipline to do so.  But whether I do or not, I will be trying to focus on the Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace I/we can have right here, right now despite crisis and upheaval, pain, commotion, distractions, difficulties ...  But I know it won't be easy to do this.

In the Gospel Reading for this Sunday, Saint Luke records that Jesus said, while speaking of his second coming, “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.  For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:34-36) 

Fortunately, my heart won't be weighed down with carousing or drunkenness.  But it certainly risks being weighed down by the "anxieties of life."  I pray that I, that you, will experience the hope, love, joy, and peace that we can have in and through Christ Jesus in the midst of whatever threatens to weigh down our hearts this Advent Season.