I enjoy following the seasons that have been established by the Church. Some insist that following the seasons is a bit too liturgical. But there is a certain refreshment and encouragement that I find in them that keeps me focused on the most important and central themes that we find in the Holy Scriptures concerning our Lord and the life that he grants to us who believe in him. Following the Church seasons also keeps me from wandering on theological tangents that fail to achieve the directives of Christ.
Advent is an opportunity to reflect upon the birth of Christ. It is an opportunity to enter anew into the grace of God for our lives that came to us through the instrument of that humble manger scene. Christ came to us in innocence untainted by inherited sin. He came as a child on a simple mission – to live and please his heavenly Father – as an example that we should follow.
We have one common natural ancestor and we share one Uncommon Spiritual Ancestor. From the loins of Adam the human race in all its diversity sprang forth. From the heart of Christ through the Spirit of Christ came salvation and eternal life for all who realize their spiritual need and turn to him for its fulfillment. Consider the words of the Apostle Paul in Acts 17:26-28.
26. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.
27. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
28. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.'
We not only find an opportunity to reflect upon the historical event. We also discover an occasion wherein we return to the child-like simplicity that our initial faith in Christ was born in. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." (Mark 10:15)
We all receive the kingdom of God into our lives as little children. Advent is an opportunity to rediscover the Christ-Child and his journey toward a maturity that refused to exalt himself. Rather, it is a maturity that leads to the Crucifixion Event. Realized in our lives, it is a maturity that causes us to exclaim with the Apostle Paul
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Christianity, as we know it in our modern world, is in the throes of change. Some have issued warnings that Christianity is in a state of crisis with its historical doctrines being replaced by contrary waves that are driven by winds of contemporary modernity. And our feet are all too quick to take us walking down the bright and glistening pathways that soon crumble and fall apart.
Advent is an opportunity to return home to the Heart of true worship where we join the wise men who journeyed far to bring their gifts and kneel before the new born King in humble, homageful, worship. Find the space somewhere in the midst of all the commercial and secular trappings of this holiday season to make your own personal pilgrimage to the origin of Christianity. Return to Advent. Return to innocence. May the Christ of Christmas be reborn afresh in our lives! |
