Reflexion, A Spiritual Community

Fourth Sunday of Advent - Love

 The Advent theme for today is LOVEI’ve never heard anyone argue whether that theme is appropriate- the words of the previous themes–hope, peace, and joy–are all found in the biblical text• but love doesn’t appear in the details of the Christmas story◦ it feels right that love should be another theme, but is it right?• does love add a sentimental tone that wasn’t there?◦ our culture is certainly attached to an “ideal” Christmas◦ a “Hallmark special” with smooth edges and a soft glow- the initial reaction to the early announcements of Christ’s birth,• given to Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, shepherds, generated confusion and fear◦ but love isn’t right there on the surface of the page• love only comes in after much theological reflection◦ the gospels tell the story, theology identifies its meaning--which is:“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (Jn. 3:167-17)

The Third Sunday of Advent

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Luke 2:10Intro: So here we are again, with the angels and the shepherdsI chose to read only these three verses, because the story is so well known- but when we circle back to it every year at this time,• we run the risk of treating it as if it only exists for this season◦ like the tree, and the lights, and the nativity scene with its little figures◦ the heavenly choir shows up every year for their Christmas cantata• they announce the arrival of Jesus, and with him, joy and peace◦ the theme for the third Sunday of Advent is joy- who am I to talk about returning to this theme only one day a year?• how often do my Sunday morning talks return to joy?◦ we weren’t hearing much joy in Hosea!• if anyone needs to be reminded of joy all year round, I’m that guyFor my own sake, I decided to explore JOY

The Liturgical Calendar

The Liturgical Calendar is a sequence of seasons, that organizes the year around the life of Jesus.Liturgical seasons Invite us to take our place in the great drama of the Gospel To take the time to experience God’s love and redemption through Spiritual rhythms and traditions shared across generations and cultures and faith communities.Practicing the liturgical calendar allows a lot of room for variety of expression,  and differences between church traditions, but its beauty is to help Christians of diverse backgrounds participate--collectively and individually  in observances, prayers and Scriptures that focus on the life and message of Jesus Christ.Advent is the first of the seasons; it is the beginning of Church Calendar year.It’s interesting to me that the beginning of the liturgical year comes as the end of our calendar year,  and that its traditions and vibe are so different than the Western New Year. The beginning of January looks forward and is filled with resolutions, plans, goals and energy.  It’s new exercise routines and new diets, at least for a few weeks. It screams - Don’t look back, yesterday is done, stay future focused for success.

Hosea 4

I think you most likely know that I love the ScripturesThe more I read them, the more I get from them,- and the deeper I go, the richer my experience• however, the journey is not always pleasant, and◦ some parts of the Bible are not as easy to digest as others◦ Hosea is not one of my favorite books• still, there are verses in it that are among my favorites◦ other than those few, working my way through Hosea,is like crawling through a long, dark tunnel◦ but the Bible doesn’t have to please me; I only need to let it speak to me- in chapter 4, Hosea continues to hammer theme of spiritual adultery• it’s like he can’t let go of it–perhaps God won’t allow him to let it go◦ or maybe his own painful experience haunts him• so far, it’s been the central metaphor of his prophecies◦ he will move on to other more pleasant analogies, but not yet

Hosea 3

Years ago, I was engaged in a conversation with two friendsIn making a point, one of them quoted a famous evangelist,“People change–but not that much”- okay–so I reacted immediately, but kept my mouth shut• this same person stood in front of large crowds,◦ promising them that Jesus would transform their lives◦ that in Christ, they would become a new creation• that is the essence of the evangelical message◦ it’s what we’ve been singing for the past 250 years“I once was lost, but now I’m found; was blind but now I see”◦ could we regard the scope of these changes "not that much"?- what good is my Christian faith if it it isn't thorough? If it doesn’t make me a better person?