If you have kept an Advent wreath this Advent, this week you lit the pink candle. Each candle has a different theme. The first two candles were hope and peace. Next week's candle is love. This week is joy. Joy is a somewhat odd note to strike in the midst of a somber season like Advent. And this year, bringing up joy seems like a cruel joke, especially to those who are having extreme sorrow. But see what the prophet Zephaniah says: Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all … [Read more...] about Advent: Joy Amidst Sorrow
Advent 2012
Advent and John the Baptist
If Advent is new to you, I don't blame you for feeling a bit confused. Advent as preparation for Christmas is a no-brainer. All these other things, like Jesus' return, that are a part of Advent, can seem beside the point. But in the second week of Advent, a figure takes center stage who both completely makes sense and who stretches our brains: John the Baptist. It makes sense to speak of John in Advent. John the Baptist is the one we know is coming to “prepare the way.” Listen to what the angel says to his father … [Read more...] about Advent and John the Baptist
Advent and the Second Coming
This is the first week in Advent. What is Advent you ask? Simply, it is the four Sundays before Christmas (see my post from last year). As a separate liturgical season, Advent has its own areas of focus. Perhaps the strongest emphasis (besides preparing to celebrate Jesus' first birth) is on Jesus' return. Jesus' Second Coming can have unpleasant connotations in many modern minds. Popular authors have spun out scenarios of empty cars on the highway in the wake of “the rapture” (the idea that Christians are taken out … [Read more...] about Advent and the Second Coming