A lot of people say this season of Advent
is about preparing for Christmas, but that’s not really on the mark.
Advent is about what is “behind” Christmas.
Advent is about what Christmas is about.
Advent is about Eternity.
Saint Paul tells us “to be blameless in holiness
before our God and Father
at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones.”
The opening prayer said,
“Grant your faithful…the resolve to run forth
to meet your Christ with righteous deeds at his coming…”
And clearly, the Gospel is not talking about Christmas Day!
So, why do we have these prayers and readings
in the weeks before Christmas?
The answer is that both Advent and Christmas are a reminder
that this world – however solid and permanent it may seem –
is transitory.
And, even if this billions-year-old earth goes on for billions more years,
you and I will certainly not.
Eternity is ever-present.
Most of us get behind the wheel and drive here and there.
Very routine.
I recall a very ordinary trip down I-75 on a rainy day.
I thought I was being reasonably cautious.
In an instant, my car was spinning out of control!
By the grace of God, I somehow got my car – doing several 360s –
across 3 lanes, and it came to rest in some tall grass on the roadside.
No injury; my banged-up car was driveable.
The one word I repeated over and over
was not something rude, but “Jesus, Jesus!”
That was a reminder of just how close eternity is.
And that is what Advent is: a reminder of the very same thing.
Eternity is closer than we realize.
As real as all this is around us,
Eternity, while hidden, is infinitely more real.
Now, that might provoke a question:
If Eternity is so much more real than what we usually call “reality,”
why is it hidden from view?
I’ll answer that with a question to parents.
Moms and dads, are there not realities you are happy
to keep your young children from experiencing, for now?
Do you not seek to keep those realities “hidden”?
Does that mean those realities are not real?
Now: God keeps Eternity hidden from us for a different reason:
not because it’s a harsh reality, but because when we meet Eternity,
the time for preparation and conversion has ended.
That time to get ready for Eternity is now.
It is a mercy that God gives us this time.
Let me reiterate: Advent is not “about” preparing for Christmas.
Rather, Advent and Christmas are both about Eternity.
Which leads me to say this.
Some of us have, over the years,
implored everyone to save Christmas for Christmas;
but I am, here and now, raising the white flag!
Instead, I’m proposing something not so difficult and ultimately more important.
As people around us celebrate Christmas,
help them realize what Christmas truly means.
Many people want to domesticate Christmas, make it tame.
It’s just a nice story. It’s just about the “good feels.”
It’s about romance, or about being more pleasant than you really are.
That version of Christmas is safe – but it is empty.
You and I have the next few weeks, when it’s all Christmas, Christmas,
to bear witness: Eternity is real and we will all face it.
There is no reason to die from fright.
Instead, be ready. You and I were made for Eternity.
There’s a TV channel promoting its movie lineup promising,
“The Best Christmas Ever”!
No: the best Christmas ever will be when Jesus finds us ready.
Maybe you saw the postcard we sent,
inviting each of us to look around for family or friends
who could use that reminder.
During this time of remembering Eternity,
maybe there is someone you want to include?
There’s a live Nativity at Good Hope next weekend: invite someone!
There are opportunities for prayer and reflection,
and there will be extra confessions scheduled during December.
Bring someone along!
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