From the Pastor: We Begin Again

 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and shouting.
~Isaiah 35:1-2a

Dear Friends,

The church year and the calendar year are not the same. The church year begins at the end of November or beginning of December, with the season of Advent. Advent means “coming,” and it is the season during which we await the coming of Jesus Christ in two senses. One is the lovely tableau we all know well, with angels, shepherds and wise ones gathered around the babe in the manger. The other is the glorious return of Christ in glory to make all things new at the end of the ages.  

For this reason (that second coming), Advent begins with Jesus talking about end times (much as he did near the end of the last church year). His words are startling and disturbing and awaken all kinds of questions in us. When? (Jesus is clear. Even he doesn’t know.) How? (The previous passage answers this one: “coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.”) Why? Psalm 98 tells us that God will judge the world, and it’s a good thing. The return of Christ signals the fulfillment of all things, and God coming to set things right. (See the last two chapters of Revelation for a beautiful, poetic vision of this.)

Advent is offered to us as a time for reflection upon all these things. Many of us are in the habit of using January 1, the beginning of the calendar year, to start afresh: to make resolutions, usually having to do with things like diet, exercise, cleaning, etc. What if we used Advent for a fresh start, except—spiritually? What would that look like for you? Would it look like having an Advent calendar to check in with each day? Would it look like a daily devotional? Would it look like reading scripture? Or taking a walk at the dimming of the day? Or perhaps an Advent wreath, kindling a light against the growing darkness—and the light is Christ himself.

UPC will be sending you a digital devotional from the PCUSA, “Draw Near” by Teri McDowell Ott. Its tag line is “lighting the Advent way with hope, peace, joy, and love.” We hope this will offer you an opportunity to tune into this beautiful season in a way that nurtures you. (Please contact Shannon in the office if you need a printed version.)

Grace and Peace, Rev. Pat Raube