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Risking Advent

By Howard Macy

We felt a bit daring, almost naughty, the first time my Friends meeting decided to observe Advent in the weeks before Christmas, using an Advent wreath with lighted candles. After all, some faithful folk I’ve known (and not just volunteer firemen) would get nervous and even twitch a bit if candles were lit for worship. They might warn that Advent candles are just baby steps away from prayer books, icons and rituals, indeed, from becoming full-fledged Lutherans or Catholics. So we giggled a bit, got an Advent wreath and charged into the beginning of the “church year.” For us newcomers that year, Advent proved to be wonderful.

Entering into Advent is to yearn for God’s will to be done. In Advent we remember and share the high hopes and anguish of those who longed for the Messiah to come. On Christmas Day we celebrate his coming. But Christians long, too, for a second Advent. They wait and strain in hope for God’s loving purposes to completely prevail, for the Peaceable Kingdom to come in fullness, for the whole earth to be filled with the intimate knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea (see Isaiah 11).

We had to learn, though. For those of us whose church year runs out after Christmas and Easter (early Quakers didn’t even do those), Mother’s Day and Homecoming Sunday, we hardly know what to do with a Christian calendar (or church year). Our not knowing comes from Friends (and others in “free church” traditions) having rejected and abandoned practices they associated with formal, liturgical practice — the cycle of a church year, prayer books, lectionaries (schedules of Bible readings) and special days, including some named for “saints.” But some of these practices may genuinely help us. For example, the Christian calendar helps us confess our faith by pointing to God’s presence and action in real time and place. It plants the memory of God’s goodness in the rhythm of time.

A friend of mine once said (I hope in jest), “There’s nothing very important about Christmas, except maybe the Incarnation if you stretch it a little.” But the Incarnation is, in fact, the point. It is about the Word made flesh that moved into the neighborhood and lived among us. So the Christian calendar is organized around the whole life and ministry of Jesus. It begins with the four weeks of Advent and their Sundays, anticipating and longing for the coming of the Messiah; then it celebrates his birth with “the 12 days of Christmas.” Other days and seasons remember Jesus’ dedication by his parents, his baptism, his temptations, his years of ministry and his trial, execution and resurrection. The church year ends in triumph with “Christ the King Sunday” and then begins again with Advent 1. The rhythm of the calendar invites us to live day-to-day recalling how Jesus lived among us day-to-day.

We were beginners — Advent celebrants on training wheels. But you don’t have to be an expert to feel the power of entering into the story of God’s love. And folk who have been entering into this season for centuries offered lots of help. For example, we were readily able to find materials to guide our weekly reflections on the traditional Advent themes of hope, peace, joy and love, as well as practical tips about how to use the candles without burning the meetinghouse down.

We had to scrounge a bit for music. In a lot of hymnals, once you’ve sung “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” and “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus,” you run out of Advent songs — songs that long for and look forward to the coming of the Messiah. To sing “Joy to the World” or “The First Noel” on the first Sunday of Advent misses the point, since they speak more of celebration than longing. But those who have observed Advent for a long time (like Lutherans and Methodists) have lots of good songs.

Another way to enter Advent is to be intentional, to step aside in the midst of the holiday hurry and crush to reflect and pray. One helpful practice is to read and reflect on the portions from Scripture that deepen our understanding of the coming of the Messiah. They lead us into sharing the longing, the hope and the wonder of promise fulfilled. It’s easy to find the particular biblical selections for Advent in sources like The Book of Common Prayer or simply by searching on the Internet. Or you might take time to listen to music, read poetry or ponder art that explores the themes of the season. One such collection of readings I’ve enjoyed is entitled Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas (Orbis Books, various authors).

We can experience Advent individually with great profit, but it’s even better when we share. In my home meeting, in recent years, we have used the Advent wreath in worship; various members have written reflections on the season that we’ve published in a booklet; we’ve been invited to share in times of prayer and waiting together during the week. We’ve even joined in a program called “Advent Conspiracy” that challenges us to think and act in ways more faithful to Christ than to the commercial holidays. Other Friends meetings, too, have explored ways to enter Advent together that have deepened their common life.

Advent touches me differently year-to-year, though it often has a double edge. I celebrate gladly and yearn deeply. The Light has come and shines into even remote corners, but the darkness resists and spawns even more brokenness and oppression. In frustration, sometimes in tears, I want to cry out, “Lord, how long?!” and advise God that this would be a very good time to bring the peace and wholeness for which we long. Some days I’m even willing to offer God some ideas about who, and what causes, need urgent attention.

Entering into Advent reminds me that God notices, that God is faithful, that God’s love never ends, even when our times dismay and discourage us. My present longing helps me understand those who first yearned for the Messiah; their joy in hope fulfilled renews my hope.

Howard Macy is professor emeritus at George Fox University. He now gives himself to writing, public ministry as way opens and other pursuits that make him smile, like reading, music, photography and the wonder of the world.