Category: Church Year

This Advent our midweek services followed the theme, "Come, Lord Jesus." The point was that in Advent there are three ways in which we observe Jesus’ coming to us. He came the first time in the flesh, as a descendant of the woman (Eve) as the fulfillment of God’s promise. Now he comes to us regularly in his Word and Sacrament. But he has also promised to come again at the end of time.

I preached last Wednesday (was that really just a week ago?) for the final midweek service. I used Revelation 22, the last chapter in the Bible, for that service. I just love the way that chapter wraps up the Bible and sets the stage for life until Jesus comes. Our whole lives (not just during Advent) hinge on Jesus’ words "Behold, I am coming soon." And so in a sense, our whole lives are one long Advent season, and our constant prayer during this time is "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus." Our "Amen" is our confession of faith that we believe he is coming for us, just as he said.

Over the past several years I have come to enjoy Advent more and more each season. Like I’ve said before, it really heightens the celebration of Christmas when you’ve been waiting in Advent. It gets sort of challenging when you live in a world and society that can’t wait for anything. But Christians are by definition "waiters". We have to, because Jesus said he is coming. And really, what greater joy can we have but to wait upon the sure promise of Jesus? Christmas proves he keeps his promises. His Word and Sacrament show him keeping his promises.

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Over the past several years I have become more and more intent to wait through Advent. I have tried hard to wait for Christmas until Christmas. I separate the Advent music from Christmas music in my iTunes library. My family is gracious enough to indulge me and we wait until the last week before Christmas to put up our Christmas tree. I actually even try to avoid the actual Christmas account (unless I’m prepping for something). I want to wait. I want to celebrate Advent and watch and wait and prepare.

I sometimes have to explain or defend myself for this. I have to explain that I’m not some kind of Scrooge. I explain that what I’ve discovered is that when I celebrate Advent, then I can really celebrate Christmas. The longer I wait for Christmas, the richer the message of Christmas becomes, when it finally comes.

Several years ago, when Sara was teaching in Kewaskum and I was at the Seminary, I had the opportunity to sit right in the front during their children’s Christmas Eve service (on Christmas Eve). We sat in the first row not occupied by the kids. This was one of the first years that I consciously "postponed" Christmas. So that year the first time I really paid attention to the Christmas story, especially those precious words in Luke chapter 2, it came from the mouths of children. There they were, just a few feet from me, and they recited their parts—parts that God first assigned to prophets and apostles and even angels. But here God has given this message also to children, ready and eager to proclaim it—to me. And it just about took my breath away. It’s something so simple that a child could recite it. But at the same time it is something that no human can ever comprehend. In fact, the only way we can really grasp it is with the eyes of faith—as a child.

This morning our school kids rehearsed our own Christmas service parts all together for the first time. And even though our service is not on Christmas Eve (it’s the day before), I already know that it will take my breath away. I’ll do my best to wait for it, and when it finally comes, I’ll be glad that the kids are saying it. Because I don’t think I could make it through. The truth is, over the past several years I’ve found that I can hardly make it through the reading of the Christmas Eve Gospel. "Today…a Savior has been born to you." It’s as though my heart can’t quite take it all in. Really? For me? And I feel like I need to stop and breath and try to absorb it.

So the kids will say the words for us, so that the rest of us can just try to take it all in. I’m looking forward to that. Let me know in the comments what you appreciate or remember most about children’s Christmas services.

November 30 is the minor festival of St. Andrew the Apostle. (It’s also my sister-in-law Abby’s birthday.) Our Andrew was very excited when it gave me the opportunity to remind him that there is an Andrew in the Bible. I guess that’s really the value of all the festival days on the Christian calendar. They give the opportunity to turn to Scripture, see those characters that played their role in the story of salvation, but more importantly, to see ourselves there, too.

Andrew doesn’t seem to play as large a role as his brother Peter, but it was Andrew who brought Peter to Jesus. And I love how automatic it seems for Andrew to do that. "The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus" (Jn 1:40-42). Perhaps we might also give thanks to God for those people who "brought us to Jesus" (perhaps they were named Andrew, too).

All praise, O Lord, for Andrew,
The first to welcome you,
Whose witness to his brother
Named you Messiah true.
May we with hearts kept open
To you throughout the year,
Confess to friend and neighbor
Your advent ever near.