ADVENT I
November 28, 2021
“Stirring Up Advent”
“Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come. By your merciful protection alert us to the threatening dangers of our sins, and redeem us for your life of justice, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. AMEN.”
Advent has arrived, and it’s so quiet and unassuming, many may not notice it or register its presence. After all, we’ve been caught up in Thanksgiving gatherings and can’t avoid the fact that Christmas, with all its hoopla, is heading toward us at breakneck speed. Consider, however, what a joy and benefit this season of the church offers us. Waiting, anticipating, and getting ready for the Messiah are, after all, about as far from this world’s definition of getting ready for Christmas as can be. The busy-ness, the amped-up pace of tasks and activities, offer very little time for meditation and reflection. This year, why not actually observe Advent, and make it an opportunity to stop, take a breath, pray a prayer, read a verse, and intentionally bring some moments of quiet joy into your heart.
The prayers included in the Advent liturgy don’t sound all that quiet and peaceful — after all, we keep asking God to stir up one thing after another. For instance, this week, we pray, “Stir up your power, and come.” Next Sunday, we will plead, “Stir up our hearts to prepare the way”. On the Third Sunday, we ask God to “Stir up the wills of your people” and lastly, the Fourth Sunday, we will again pray, “Stir up your power, and come.”
There’s a theme here, however, as we pray for attitudes and situations to be stirred up, because they need it. When we ask God to stir up his power and come, we express a need for protection from sin, and redemption for a life of justice. Our everyday lives may benefit from being stirred up, preventing too much comfort and complacency.
Stirring people up, or creating unsettling situations is generally seen as a negative thing, but, once again, Christians find a way to turn the “usual” way of thinking upside down. As we are preparing our spirits for the arrival of Christ in human form, the stirring begins. Giving birth in a stable, the appearance of an angel choir, shepherds, wise men, a threatening king and an escape to another country, are far from the usual story of a young couple welcoming their first child.
As we begin this Advent journey, there is a sense of anticipation, wondering, perhaps, if we’ll have some new experiences or develop new understandings. It’s an opportunity to stir up our usual ways of doing things, refresh our spirits, see with a new insight the familiar prophecies and accounts. It’s a time to listen to voices of the past, chanting, singing, looking for the Messiah, and it’s a time to listen to the voices of the present, still looking, searching, yearning for the Good News that is Emmanuel — God with us.
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers