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Christ Church Advent Reflections

2012

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Welcome to the Season of Advent

During this season of prayer and preparation, we offer you daily reflections written by members of the Christ Church community. We hope that the

thoughts, prayers, and stories will help guide you in your journey through these darkening days of quiet anticipa-tion.

We have also provided the daily office lessons as well as the saint’s day or special occasion as they occur. Any cita-tions listed after an asterisk are recommended readings for the evening; for more information about how to use these daily office readings, please see page 935 in the Book of Common Prayer or talk with me or any of our priests—any of us would be happy to help with the particulars of this practice.

During the season of Advent, we wait with a promise in our hearts that makes already present what we are wait-ing for. What we wait for is for the coming of Jesus into our lives, just as we wait after Easter for the coming of the Spirit, and again, after the Ascension, we wait for his coming again in glory. Waiting for God is an active, alert, and joyful series of insights, discoveries, and observances and in the waiting we are transformed.

Join me in reflecting on these meditations each day so that your waiting may be stirred with imagination and conviction to prepare for The One who is coming and is forever searching for us.

—The Rev. Pierce W. KlemmtRector

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Sunday, december 2(Channing Moore Williams, missionary Bishop in China and Japan, 1910)

Psalm 146, 147 * 111, 112, 113Isaiah 1:1–92 Peter 3:1–10Matthew 25:1–13

Can you imagine in this story of 10 maidens how they represent really anyone who seeks what Jesus calls his kingdom? The

kingdom is a new way of compassionately and generously living with each other. In the story, he arrives as a bridegroom they desire to have company with. But to greet him when he arrives we have to set out on a search. That search is going to take us to some dark places. We are going to need light to find our way. In fact, light is the urge within us to seek our Lord in the first place. To continue the journey, we need to have a sufficient supply of oil. Making sure that we have provision for the way is our Lord’s way of saying we must be realistic about the journey and take responsibility for it. It requires effort, time, attention, and resilience. The fact that there is not enough oil for both groups tells that faith can never be borrowed. It always requires a personal commitment to keep the light burning and the way revealed. If we are ready to make that commitment, our lives will be transformed. To possess the light of Christ is to be guided, and confident despite the dangers of the darkness, open to receive the blessing of the light.

—The Rev. Pierce Klemmt

Please join us for Lessons & Carols, our annual musical celebration of the Advent season, at 5:00 p.m. tonight. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. for seating, and a festive reception sponsored by the Stewardship Committee will be held in the Auditorium following the celebration.

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monday, december 3(Francis Xavier, Missionary to the Far East, 1552)

Psalm 1, 2, 3 * 4, 7Isaiah 1:10–20I Thessalonians 1:1–10Luke 20:1–8

Liturgists used to call Advent A Little Lent, meaning that it was a time of penitence and fasting, only shorter than Lent. The cur-

rent thinking of scholars, reflecting a more ancient practice, is that Advent is not an abbreviated, scaled-down Lent at all, but instead a season with its own character and meaning. The nature of Advent is now understood to be a time of waiting. We are caught in the dynamic tension of two advents, both of which thrust us into joyful expectation: the first coming of Christ as a baby in a manger and the second coming of Christ in triumph.

Joyful expectation. What thoughts and feelings come to you upon hearing joyful expectation? For me hope is the result of joyful expecta-tion. It is still easy, many years later, to remember the joyful expecta-tion of Christmas that I relished as a child. What hope it brought! Of presents, of minced meat pies, of stockings to be filled. That hope was so strong that it remains firmly fixed in my heart as December ambles on. Though what I wait for has changed, the hope has not. I eagerly hope for Christmas.

Hope is a magnificent thing. Of the three qualities from I Corin-thians 13 that will last forever—faith, hope, and love—hope is the one that moves urgently forward. It anticipates, expects, waits. By comparison pessimism is a cheap and tawdry substitute. Hope fills time that might otherwise be colorless with energy and excitement. We Christians are a people of great hope. We understand joyful expectation, because each Advent is a time of rehearsal, as we await the coming of Christ. When we are brimming over with hope, it will spill over onto the lives of those around us, enriching the world we inhabit with the spirit of the Christ on whom we wait in this Ad-vent Season, the season of hope.

—William Bradley Roberts

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TueSday, december 4 (John of Damascus, Priest, c. 760)

Psalm 5, 6 * 10, 11Isaiah 1:21–311 Thessalonians 2:1–12Luke 20: 9–18

A man planted a vineyard and leased it to tenants, and went to another country for a long time.

After receiving today’s readings assigned for the Advent reflection, I immediately went to that great theological resource—Google.com. Seriously, it is a wonderful resource for kindergarten Sunday school teachers. The first try was on the word Advent, hoping to get some inspiration that could be passed along. What I found was interesting, informative, historical, and mostly liturgical. No inspiration there.

Next, I put in the different lessons for today. The inquiry for Luke 20:9–18 offered a link to something called Preachers Ponderings. This is a blog hosted by Keith Jones, the preaching minister at Calera Church of Christ, Calera, Alabama. I pulled it up and started reading. I was inspired and thought, “wow, why can’t I offer some-thing like that?” Realizing I can’t and he did, here is a link to his blog http://keithjonesblog.blogspot.com/2005/11/luke-209-18.html. I will summarize below, but hope everyone will take the time to read his entire pondering:

In the Gospel reading, it is fairly obvious that Jesus is referring to the prophets who were rejected and beaten and His impending death. We can feel smug in the fact that we recognize what is going on and be thankful that I’m not like that. But the Reverend Jones takes a deeper look. He asks if we are paying attention to the opportunities God provides for us to change behavior, help others, and grow spiritually. He asks, “do we see them as an opportunity to respond to God or do we beat them up and send them on their way?”

—Jack Hutcheson

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WedneSday, december 5(Clement of Alexandria, priest, c. 210)

Psalm 119:1–24 * 12, 13, 14Isaiah 2:1–11I Thessalonians 2:13–20Luke 20:19–26

Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and Render to God what is God’s.

All year long, many of us struggle to balance what we render to Caesar (aka the material world) and what we render to God. This conflict amplifies during the holidays as we try to meet the demands of countless Christmas obligations. Even at Christ Church, the quiet and reflective nature of Advent can be challenged by the exciting array of worthwhile and spiritually engaging activities we offer. As Christians, we all want to answer the Advent call but find that with the hectic holiday swirl, our spiritual health can take a back seat to everything else. That is, if we allow it.

During Advent, I make a concerted effort to render to God what is God’s—first. And what is God’s? For me, it is my heart and soul, fully engaged in preparing for the Nativity. It isn’t easy, but I try to resist being emptied by overly ambitious to-do lists, shopping mall mania, office obligations and potentially challenging family interac-tions.

There is a quote from business guru Stephen Covey I heard a long time ago, which speaks to me in a different way during this busy Christmas season: “The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing.”

When met with the inevitable noise and demands of Christmas, I want there to be plenty of room in the ‘inn’ of my heart.

—Dorothy A. Friedlander

Still the hustle of the season with a Taizé service tonight at 7:00 p.m. in the Auditorium. This meditative, candlelit service lasts 30 minutes and features simple songs sung repetitively, two short readings, prayers, and two extended times of silence. All are welcome.

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ThurSday, december 6 (Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, c. 342)

Psalm 18:1–20 * 18:21–50Isaiah 2:12–22I Thessalonians 3:1–13Luke 20:27–40

Advent heralds the beginning of the new church year. It is also the time we wait for the birth of our Savior. I feel a push and

pull in this – a tension between being able to celebrate something new and of quietly, patiently, and reflectively waiting for the good that is to come.

It makes me think of my almost eight-year-old grandson, Ian, who recently lost a tooth at school. He went to the nurse’s office to get the special treasure box given for a lost tooth. The nurse wasn’t there. Ian went back to his classroom and waited. He returned to her office again only to find she still wasn’t there. In his words, he ended up waiting to “the end of the day” to get his treasure box.

Ian waiting patiently until “the end of the day” is a small miracle. Imagine this active little boy, surrounded by all the noise and activ-ity in his classroom, still participating in his work, and yet patiently waiting for “the end of the day” to get his treasure box.

Ian’s experience sums up Advent to me. We are ready to celebrate the beginning of the new church year, yet we know we can’t start blowing the horns and tossing confetti quite yet. Instead, we wait patiently for the birth of our Savior.

This Advent, as I move through the distractions from holiday glitz and the glitter, store fronts full of enticing goodies, and Christmas music that began long before Thanksgiving and try to maintain a reflective spirit, I am keeping Ian’s patient waiting until “the end of the day” in my mind and heart. I know I’ll get a treasure box of my very own when the wait is over.

—Linda L. Dienno

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Friday, december 7(Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, 397)

Psalm 16, 17 * 22Isaiah 3: 8–15I Thessalonians 4:1–12Luke 20: 41–21:4

“The more He bothered me, the less I could forget Him. And the more I learned about Him, the less I wanted to leave Him.” I stum-bled across this in re-reading the Life of Pi, and it struck a chord with me. It sounded so personal, more so than I ever characterized my relationship with God. Pi was desperately searching for God when he wrote this, and it made me sit up and take notice. Do I really think of Jesus as a friend? It’s difficult for me at times to imagine Jesus sitting there next to me, and I will admit that I still think of God as some big being in the sky. And I have learned there’s noth-ing wrong with that. Jesus is a journey; he will always be there for me. I may not feel him or sense him. God may be silent to me. And isn’t that when I’m not thinking of him? When I’m not bothered by him? When life is good? It is for me. Advent is a season that reminds me of my relationship with God. He splashes back into the picture as I prepare for his coming. In the stillness, the quiet, the solitude of Advent, I wait in anticipation for Jesus, my friend.

—Eileen Adenan

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SaTurday, december 8 (Richard Baxter, Pastor and Writer, 1691)

Psalm 20, 21:1–7(8–14) * 110:1–5 (6–7), 116, 117Isaiah 4:2–6I Thessalonians 4:13–18Luke 21:5–19

Like an Advent calendar, I was happily surprised when I opened the email from Melissa and Heather to be asked to write some

brief reflections on Advent, a term, I frankly had to look up on Wikipedia. As my new Episco Pals in the Christ Church covenant class of 2012 already know, I was raised with little organized religion, maybe baptized with gin or melted ice at my Aunt’s wedding by a man my mother insists to this day was a bona fide Episcopal priest. So please know that I know I still have much to learn about this church, and the season of Advent.

Psalm 116, I learned, was part of the Hallel, a Hebrew word mean-ing praise. The Hallel consists of six Psalms (113–118), which are recited verbatim and used for praise and thanksgiving on joyous oc-casions in the Jewish faith, including Hanukkah. I think this psalm is also included in part to celebrate God’s miracles and healings. In Psalm 116 the speaker was close to death and feared dying and prayed to God, to Yahweh, to be spared, and was spared, and so he loves the Lord and seeks to praise him. To me this is a poem about saying hallelujah and thanking God publicly for his many healing miracles. It speaks to me because like the speaker, I feared death at one point, and I also thank God for healing me.

I think God works directly healing us, providing us strength and grace. I also think he works indirectly, in my case healing me through the efforts of my partner and family, my friends, and many others. I was surprised to find help and healing from many different people that I did not predict could ever help me. One of these sur-prises was Christ Church and Mary Beth Baylor, who offered a safe, supportive and inclusive environment for my son about a year ago when I was still quite ill. I am still surprised and impressed by Mary

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Beth and Christ Church’s efforts to be inclusive and welcoming to all people. I love the way both she and this church puts into practice the teachings of Christ to treat others as you have them treat you, to love and show kindness, to respect people regardless of gender, race, age, sexual preference. I did not expect this church or its people to be so kind to my son, me, or my partner. It was a lovely surprise, a gift, like opening an Advent calendar.

In my healing journey, I have been aided by people of all faiths, including Episcopalians, Catholics, Jewish, Sufi, Buddhist, Baptist, Unitarian, Pagan, and agnostic; they lent me strength when I was weak, and hope when I was hopeless, and help when I was helpless. I believe they were all gifts from God in their diversity, compas-sion, and kindness. So, I needed to find a spiritual home that would provide me a structure in which to celebrate and to thank God for healing me and that would be respectful of other people and faiths.

It is one thing to know you are on the right spiritual journey for yourself, it is another to assume that is the only right spiritual journey. So I was deeply moved and impressed by Christ Church’s strength of faith that invites all faiths to take communion, that celebrates Thanksgiving with a Jewish Temple, that can celebrate Advent while not detracting from other faiths in doing so. It is a church community that is able come together, celebrate our differ-ence, without being divisive or superior.

I appreciate the way in which in this dark time of winter, and perhaps in our lives, we can look to God, Christ, this church, each other, in our humanity, to celebrate the coming of light, the coming of Jesus, the return of health, the rebirth of ourselves, our hopes, our souls. To me this season of Advent represents the promise that God, Christ Church, and this faith holds out to me, of finding a gentler, wiser, peaceful, more compassionate, and healthier life here on earth. Thank you.

—Elizabeth Jex

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Sunday, december 9—The Second Sunday of advenT

Psalm 148, 149, 150 * 114, 115Isaiah 5:1–72 Peter 3:11–18Luke 7:28–35

To me, Advent has always been a time of anticipation and waiting – waiting for school to end, waiting to see family and

friends that I haven’t seen in a while, and waiting for Christmas to come. Being in a state of anticipation is an exciting, meaningful experience on its own terms. When I was a little kid, I would always look forward to the Advent season, and of course to Christmas. On the first Sunday of Advent each year, my family and I are usu-ally still at my aunt and uncle’s house in St. Louis for Thanksgiving. I remember making Advent wreaths out of Krispy Kreme donuts and pretzel sticks, when I was little. This to me always signaled the start of the season. It signaled that school is almost done for Christ-mas break, the Christmas Pageant at church was coming up, which I was excited for, and of course that Christmas itself, is right around the corner. Even today, it is still the season of anticipation for me. When the first Sunday of Advent comes now, although there is no donut Advent wreath, there is still the signal of the start of the Christmas season. Advent season traditions at home and church, such as reading the Bible and lighting candles, teach us the joy of waiting, because we know how the story ends. Waiting, for school to let out, for family and friends to gather, and above all, for the birth of Christ on Christmas Day, is a special joy in and of itself.

—Duff Archie

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monday, december 10 (Karl Barth, Pastor and Theologian, 1968 or Thomas Merton, Contemplative and Writer, 1968)

Psalm 25 * 9, 15Isaiah 5:8–12, 18–23I Thessalonians 5:1–11Luke 21:20–28

Psalm 25 starts with a lament over past transgressions. He be-seeches God not to remember him for his transgressions, but

in mercy to “remember thou me for thy goodness’ sake.” Then the psalmist lists the traits that make God willing to accept and teach sinners: meekness, keeping the faith and fear of the Lord. Finally, after declaring that he is meek, faithful to and in fear of the Lord, he makes a final, even more heartfelt plea for forgiveness.

The Anchor Bible says that idolatry is the sin that the psalmist is ashamed of. How can we understand this? Sure golden calves are an example. But what is the mindset of the idolater? The attribution of supernatural or divine power to something manmade. For example, expecting health and happiness from praying to a carved image. The conceit that man is capable of creating something that has such power reveals extraordinary pride. It is a declaration that I have the power of God. It is the result of Eve’s fatal seduction by the serpent in the Garden of Eden. As an older man, our psalmist is sorrowfully ashamed of such pride. Now he is meek, determined to walk in the ways of the faithful and filled with fear of the Lord.

What has disabused our psalmist of his pride, of his idolatry? The gods he had been chasing after proved false. Still there is a question, why then did he not just give up in despair. What led him to turn the one true God? That is the question that the psalmist raises. I can only guess at an answer. Perhaps he came to appreciate that he was surrounded by all the wonders of a creation that dwarfed the cre-ative ability of man. So he came to appreciate the power of the truly divine, the power of the Lord. On his own, the psalmist learned the lesson that God had to teach Job.

—Phil Lyons

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TueSday, december 11Psalm 26, 28 * 36, 39Isaiah 5:13–17, 24–25I Thessalonians 5:12–28Luke 21:29–38

Over time I have grown to like Paul’s letter to members of the early church. Not only did he travel extensively throughout

the region to be with these budding congregations (think of the frequent flyer miles he might have earned), he also sent correspon-dence which I suspect helped these groups answer their questions, inform their decisions and reassure them that they were not alone but were part of something much greater. More than mere missives of friendship and secular news, these letters contain hard truths and pointed instructions. Remember, Paul WAS a man on a mission. He had been transformed by his encounter with God and this experi-ence propelled a changed man into the world, someone who did not shrink from speaking out.

In this particular letter I am struck by some of his simple instruc-tions: encourage, help, and be patient. As I proceed through this season of preparation and waiting, I especially appreciate Paul’s reminder. It is so easy to become caught up in the tasks I use to construct my perfect Christmas celebration that sometimes I hon-estly believe that I really don’t have time to extend those words of encouragement or that I am just too busy to offer some help. And don’t get in my way or distract me when I’m running out of patience because my to-do list is still long, the checkout line is slow and there are no parking spaces near the store entrance. But what kind of celebration am I really going to have if I am unable or unwilling to extend myself to those around me and thereby miss living into the joyous gift of the incarnate God which really is what Christmas is all about? So…

Dear P. Got your letter today. Great to hear from you & thanks for the reminder. / J

—Jane Gilchrist

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WedneSday, december 12Psalm 38 * 119:25–48Isaiah 6:1–132 Thessalonians 1:1–12John 7:53–8:11

When I initially read these readings, I thought “Oh my god, really?” so much suffering and destruction—not exactly happy

holidays. As I continued to reflect, I came to see how these readings teach us about God’s constant presence in our lives. You are really never without the presence of God whether you know it, feel it, or not.

I have for most of my life felt some kind of presence. It sometimes felt like an angel or a close relative, like my long-lost grandma, watching over me. It never has felt like someone who is going to get me out of the mess I put myself in, but more like someone watching my back, making sure that from whatever circumstance I am in I will continue to learn or improve the situation. Whatever our suffer-ing and humiliation, even if we sin like David or the woman caught in adultery, God is there. And God’s presence makes a difference, whether we recognize it or not. We don’t know that the woman caught in adultery believed in Jesus—we do know that Jesus did not leave her alone. And we know Jesus’ presence at that moment changed the hearts of those in the crowd.

Advent is a time for me to acknowledge the presence of God in my life, and to open myself to that presence, whatever my circum-stances.

—Bruni Hernandez

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ThurSday, december 13(Lucy, Martyr at Syracuse, 304)

Psalm 37:1–18 * 37:19–42Isaiah 7:1–92 Thessalonians 2:1–12Luke 22:1–13

I was struck by the last verse of the portion from Isaiah in today’s reading, “If you do not stand firm in faith, you shall not stand

at all.” Some may see this as suggesting that our faith is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I can see that point of view but not if it leads to rigidity of belief and practice. Standing firm in faith does not mean that your faith is static or always the same. We are invited into growth in and deepening of faith. It is for us, both in Advent and throughout the year, to do our part and to seek deeper relationship with God. At the core of my faith is the firm belief that God is the center of my universe—not me. The days when I forget that, I do not stand at all. On the days when I remember who God is and who I am, I do stand firm in faith—of God as revealed in Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior, mighty and vulnerable, open to all who seek the ultimate outpouring of Love and Life and Light.

—The Rev. Heather VanDeventer

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Friday, december 14(John of the Cross, Mystic, 1591)

Psalm 31 * 35Isaiah 7:10–252 Thessalonians 2:13–3:5Luke 22:14–30

Today, we read Luke’s account of the Last Supper. Because we hear these words so frequently in our Eucharistic Celebration,

we all know them by heart, but try reading these words with fresh eyes today.

In this short passage, Jesus tells of his great eagerness to share this meal with his friends, and shares some thoughts about betrayal, leadership, and servanthood, all while beginning the sacred ritual we share each week some two thousand years later.

Our Sunday school class shares a small snack each week, we gather together as a church family each Sunday around coffee hour, we have receptions after Lessons & Carols and the Christmas Pageant, we gather for impromptu meals and snacks before choir practice and after youth group, and many of us share meals in each others’ homes and in restaurants or coffee houses.

How fitting it is that we gather together with friends around food and drink – sometimes to think about the deep things in life, but also sometimes just to be with each other – in the mundane and everyday.

As Jesus promises to be truly with us in the bread and the wine, let us promise to truly be there for each other this Advent in the coffee and tea and also the hot cocoa, in the lemonade and the cookies as well as in the goldfish, as we gather in the Meade Room and Audi-torium, in McMurray Commons, in our classrooms, our homes, at Misha’s, at Cosi, and also at Austin Grill.

—Brian Wommack

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SaTurday, december 15(John Horden, Bishop and Missionary in Canada, 1893 or Robert McDonald, Priest, 1913)

Psalm 30, 32 * 42, 43Isaiah 8:1–152 Thessalonians 3:6–18Luke 22:31–38

The tradition of the annual gift to the church from its children is the learning, rehearsal, and presentation that repeats the story

leading up to the beginning of the first Christmas – the pageant. We know how the glorious story ends. But each year brings a new cast as new children join and older children grow into their roles from her-ald angels to sheep, to animals in the stable, to shepherds, wise men, two very new young parents and the final youth role, the narrators. It’s not how the story will end – it’s the waiting for the somewhat unpredictable presentation by each year’s new cast and crew that we anticipate and love. The work they, their teachers and parents have put into that one-time presentation inspires as that enthusias-tic preparation represents the active waiting we can all savor during Advent. We all have a role as we wait, watch, and stay alert with hope for the children in whatever roll they may create as they re-tell the Story and make it theirs—renewing the joy in the Story for us all.

Dear Lord, Bless us with Your Peace as we seek out and enjoy all the ways we can practice, and cherish, active waiting during this Advent season. Through your grace, may we savor each step in preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Amen

—Susan L. Hahn

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Sunday, december 16— The Third Sunday oF advenT

(Ralph Adams Cram, 1942, and Richard Upjohn, 1878, Architects, and John La Farge, Artist, 1910)

Psalm 63:1–8(9–11), 98 * 103Isaiah 13:6–13Hebrews 12:18–29John 3:22–30

This Christmas will be the first Christmas that my family will celebrate without my father. And while thousands of people

have written this sentence before, it is a strange thing for me to write, especially in a candy cane red/green world illuminated by the twinkling of Christmas tree lights. This Christmas season finds me walking in a thick fog of precious memories of Dad from Christmases past and a longing to return to those days when I had a father who was alive and well and here. But, as much as I want my old Christ-mas back, I know that it’s not to be. So, instead, I am re-learning Christmas.

I think about Paul writing to a community of Jewish Christians who longed for the good old days when God’s covenant was made through the sacrifice of flesh and a booming voice that sent fear and trembling through the people of Israel. In his letter to the Hebrews, Paul wrote that instead of fear and spectacle, we have been brought to a heavenly Jerusalem, with angels , and to Jesus, “the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24). In a way, we are all called to re-learn Christmas and to find a new way for the Christmas story to enter into our lives. What we’ll end up with will be some-thing completely different than what we expected, but better than we dared hope for – at least that’s my prayer.

—Shannon Finney

Please join us for our annual Christmas Pageant in the church tonight at 5:00 p.m. The Pageant will be followed by a Yuletide Feast and Cookie Exchange in the Auditorium.

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monday, december 17(William Lloyd Garrison, 1879, and Maria Stewart, 1879, Prophet Witnesses)

Psalm 41, 52 * 44Isaiah 8:16–9:12 Peter 1:1–11 Luke 22:39–53

Advent can be a very complicated time. On one hand, Advent is about anticipating and preparing for the coming of the

Christ child into the world—a profound sign of God’s presence among us that demands our close attention. On the other hand, the weeks leading up to Christmas are filled with parties, shopping and preparation for the secular celebration of the holiday—a decidedly superficial pursuit. As our young family grew, this second facet of Advent tended to take on more importance than the anticipation of Jesus’ first coming. Christmas morning had become more like a finish line than a milestone in our life as Christians. We live in a world in which better, faster, and cheaper define our expectations for much of life. We have become so captivated by super size, super stars, and high definition that we tend not to see potential in small, quiet things. Now that our children have become young adults, our challenge as parents is to interpret and place into perspective the Advent season, rather than just pass through it on our way to Christmas. For us, the meaning of Advent is found in being quiet and listening. Among the decorations, the saturated social calen-dars, and the consumer flurry is the quiet knock of Jesus wanting to come into our lives.

—Janet and Chris Zavrel

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TueSday, december 18Psalm 45 * 47, 48Isaiah 9:1–72 Peter 1:12–21Luke 22:54–69

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, and even as an adult the season feels magical to me. Even my name means Christ-mas—I was destined to love this holiday! These days, Christmas mu-sic starts playing on the radio before Thanksgiving. Before Hallow-een, TV commercials advertise the season’s hottest toys. Some stores keep Christmas ornaments on display year round. Advent, quite often, is overlooked. For me, Advent always meant a flimsy calendar that had little doors behind which were stale, chalky chocolates. I also don’t consider myself an extremely patient person, and the idea of waiting isn’t very appealing to me. But what about Advent does speak to me? Quiet. Between the holidays, before the hustle and bustle of travel and family, during the calm before the storm, so to speak, I’ve learned to catch my breath. In the spirit of the Quaker friends, I sit in stillness and listen for Christ to speak to me. Sure, I still get caught up in carols and Christmas movies, gift wrapping, and tree decorating, but remembering what Christmas is all about, remembering what the whole world was waiting for on Christmas Eve all those years ago, remembering the patience of the wise men as they traversed, remembering what the whole world is waiting for even now, helps bring me back to the calm, to the quiet, and to the preparation of my spirit for the profound joy that Christmas brings.

—Natalie Ramirez

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WedneSday, december 19(Lillian Trasher, Missionary in Egypt, 1961)—Ember Day

Psalm 119:49–72 * 49, [53]Isaiah 9:8–172 Peter 2:1–10aMark 1:1–8

Today’s reading from Mark’s gospel confronts us with a power-ful image – an image of God’s people exiled in the wilderness,

awaiting the arrival of our Savior from the self same wilderness. The other readings offer clues as to why we might be in this wilderness.

It has been just over a year since my wife Martha and I moved from New York City to Alexandria and began worshipping at Christ Church. We were already awaking the arrival of another Innocent—our baby daughter Clara Júlia, born with God’s help in May.

While we like to think that we left the wilderness of New York City behind as we settled into the genteel South, our life has not been without its trials. Our daughter brings us tremendous joy. Yet, as perhaps many new parents, we too fall into the trap of pride. Just as we start congratulating ourselves at how perfect she is, and even indulge in comparing ourselves with other parents, we are soon humbled. A few days ago, just as we were musing how wonderful she was, she produced the biggest number two to date. The diaper couldn’t keep up, and we ended up doing an extra load of laundry that included baby clothes, mommy clothes, and bed sheets. God indeed moves in mysterious ways to instill humility in his flock.

At Clara’s baptism just a few weeks ago, we renewed our own bap-tismal vows along with the Godparents and the entire congregation. We reminded ourselves of God’s law as we should live it in nurturing a little Christian soul. May this recent reminder see us through this Advent season and beyond.

—Ján SaboEmber Days are days set aside throughout the church year for special prayers and fasting. Traditionally, the church has seen these days as especially appropriate for the ordination of clergy. Take some time this day to pray for all clergy and seminarians, especially our seminarians Chris Hogin, our seminarian at Duke Divinity, and John Hogg, our seminarian from Virginia Theological Seminary.

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ThurSday, december 20Psalm 50 * [59, 60] or 33Isaiah 9:18–10:42 Peter 2:10b–16Matthew 3:1–12

Like many Americans (and, if you pay attention to astrology, like most of my fellow Capricorns), I sometimes tangle up my sense

of self-worth with the extent to which I feel needed. There’s some-thing strongly affirming about putting in a good job on a project people are counting on me for. And even though I may grumble, there is a strong sense of belonging generated when I’ve got to go pitch in for a family member, again. Truth be told, there’s something a wee bit unsettling about imagining—or even witnessing—impor-tant people in my life getting along just fine without me.

Maybe that’s why God sounds so far away and a little frighten-ing to me in Psalm 50, declaring, with that edge of irritation: “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and all that is in it is mine.” In all of today’s readings, God seems to be on the verge of giving up this whole relationship with us. “The ax is lying at the root of the tree,” Matthew warns. And, God knows, we don’t have the smallest chip to bargain with: God does not need us in the least.

And yet: one of the many miracles of the incarnation is God’s willingness to arrive as a child, utterly dependent, counting on folks like us to keep him warm, fed, safe, alive. If you agree with Teresa of Avila, God needs us still: Christ has no body here on earth but ours, and we must be the hands and feet with which he touches the world. It’s a little daunting, especially in the face of the wrath we hear in the readings today, but it’s also quite a gift, to be invited to live up to that.

—Melissa Capers

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friday, december 21 (St. Thomas the Apostle)

Psalm 40, 54 * 51Isaiah 10:5–192 Peter 2:17–22Matthew 11:2–15

Advent marks the beginning of a new liturgical year when we renew our walk with Jesus through all the details of His life

and He walks with us in ours. Yet, it can be a difficult season, a time when we are repeatedly reminded of the ways in which humans feel the pain and confusion of longing for something more. Stay awake, be vigilant, watch intently are the messages of the season, but this is challenging for most of us to accomplish. Many of us long to find significance and meaning in our lives.

The story of John the Baptist in our reading from Matthew is an emblem of our longing for something redemptive in our own lives. John’s question from his jail cell to Jesus—Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?—is a question formed by his natural desire for vindication and recognition. John, as many of us do in our own lives, wanted to know his work was not in vain. Fortunately, Jesus praised John for his work, but he reminded John that his work was part of a much larger pattern of God’s love break-ing into the world in new and remarkable ways. As a season, Advent serves to remind us of this message and to excite us in our faith. We are challenged each year to explore a little further into what we personally believe. As much as we know Jesus walks with us in our lives, Advent seeks to encourage us to attune our lives to the life and teachings of Jesus.

—John E. Hogg

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SaTurday, december 22(Henry Budd, Priest, 1875, or Charlotte Diggs (Lottie) Moon, Missionary in China, 1912)—Ember Day

Psalm 55 * 138,139:1–17(18–23)Isaiah 10:20–27Jude 17–25Luke 3:1–9

I sometimes catch myself sending mixed messages when I pray. “Lord, I trust that You will fulfill Your purpose for me in Your good

time. But today, there’s something I need so urgently—or want so badly—that I’m hoping You will see fit to answer this particular prayer on an expedited basis. I just don’t think I can wait much longer.”

I wonder if that prayer is really okay. Can I really claim to have put my trust in God, if I find it so hard to wait on God?

I’m not sure that today’s readings gave me a definitive answer to that question, but they did give me comfort. Perhaps God hears my mixed messages not as a sign of weariness or impatience, but as part of a timeless tradition of persistent prayer. After all, the faithful voice in Psalm 55 sounds a lot like that of someone who also knew what it is like to have to wait:

Attend to me, and answer me;I am troubled in my complaint…

Evening and morning and at noonI utter my complaint and moan,

and he will hear my voice…I will trust in you.

—Jay Purcell

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Sunday, december 23 The Fourth Sunday of Advent

Psalm 24, 29 * 8, 84Isaiah 42:1–12Ephesians 6:10–20John 3:16–21

At the onset of a new liturgical year, the season of Advent serves as an annual reminder of new beginnings, both realized and yet

to come. In anticipating Christmas, we often reflect upon those Old Testament stories and prophesies of a Hebrew people eagerly await-ing redemption, a savior, a kingdom of their own. As Christians, we celebrate Advent not as the beginning of a new story, but as the point at which our story and God’s story become intertwined with a new kind of miraculous intimacy. In one of his best loved works, Miracles, CS Lewis notes that Christianity is “precisely the story of a grand miracle, the Incarnation”. God chose to fully participate in our world. Indeed, the Word became flesh and lived among us.

What would it look like if we as individuals began to engage in the world as God did on that night in Bethlehem? What does a fully invested, participative, incarnate life entail? There is a world eagerly awaiting our answer to that question.

—Zach Baize

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monday, december 24 Vigil of the Nativity

Psalm 45, 46 Isaiah 35:1–10 Revelation 22:12–17, 21 Luke 1:67–80

Unto us a son is given…Twenty seven years ago, my husband and I were celebrating

Christmas Eve at my mother-in law’s place. We were celebrating our Lord’s birth after a year of deaths: we lost my husband’s cousin Al, his grandfather, Douglas Poage, and his uncle, Douglas Poage, Jr. that year. We stayed behind with my mother-in-law, Anne Vinsant, and my niece, Beth Magill, as her parents, John and Susan, went to the late night service at Christ Church. We were having a great time playing with Beth and tossing her in the air, when Anne cautioned me, as I was very pregnant at the time.

We eventually tired Beth out, put her to sleep, and headed home. It wasn’t much longer before Robert and I were back on the road, headed to Columbia Hospital for Women. It had started snowing and we were ecstatic—snow for Christmas, and a child on the way—a Christmas baby!

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the gov-ernment shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” That day the rest of the world celebrated, too, for the Lord’s own Christmas Baby.

Happy Birthday to all the Christmas babies of the world! And Merry Christmas to all of God’s children!

—Caroline Magill

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TueSday, december 25The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ

Psalm 2, 85 * 110:1–5(6–7), 132Zechariah 2:10–13I John 4:7–16John 3:31–36

Beloved, I have come. I have been born into your world on this day so that you may begin again. How quiet it is. All is new this

morning, your hope finds fresh wings, your wounds washed clean. I am here. I have been born into your world this morning so that you will know that you are beloved. I claim your flesh, your human-ity so that my love for you will have skin on it. You will be able to touch it and taste it. You will have to take me into yourself. Hold me close, beloved. I am yours. We will walk together, you in me and me in you. It is time. The waiting is over. Hush. I am here. Again and always.

—The Rev. Ann Gillespie

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118 N. Washington St. Alexandria, VA 22314 www.HistoricChristChurch.org