Homily Reflection - 1st Sunday Advent - The Arrival of Extraordinary

The Arrival of Extraordinary

Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14;  1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2;  Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

Happy New Year in the Church!

Today, we celebrate the 1^st Sunday of Advent.

(?) What’s that mean (?)

Most people might say “I don’t know. Advent is the time before Christmas. It might have a special meaning; but, Christmas was a long time ago. Jesus has already been born. I don’t know the reason for Advent?”

Let’s think about the reason for Advent.

Maybe, it’s a wake-up call. On the first Sunday of Advent, when we should be getting ready for the joyous arrival of the Lord, the readings are harsh. Telling us days are coming when the sun, the moon, and the earth shall be in dismay and perplexed. People will die of fright. These words are a wake-up call.

Maybe, it’s about repentance. Paul writes, “strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father.” The gospel urges “pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent….” These are words of repentance.

Maybe, it’s for us to ask forgiveness. The Gospel says we will “stand before the Son of Man;” and, to “stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.” The alleluia we sang today is “Show us, Lord, your love; and grant us your salvation.”

Maybe, it’s a call for us to change. The Psalmist asks of God “Teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth.”  The readings give us this wisdom. “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all”, “conduct yourselves to please God”, and Paul writes about changing and the “instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.”

The words that made me stop and think about the reason for Advent are these:

“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.” 

My daddy gave me that warning when I was a young man. His simple words of advice “Don’t let Jesus find you where you shouldn’t be.”

I didn’t listen and if Jesus had come looking for me then, He would have found me carousing or suffering the effects of carousing.

Then, by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, I found the reason for Advent.

Advent is a wake-up call and the call to repentance. Advent is recognizing that you need God’s forgiveness and Advent is recognizing the need to change. Advent is living a Christian life in the times between Christ’s first coming and his second coming.

Even though, we celebrate Advent starting today and the following four weeks leading up to Christmas, it’s something we need to find in the everyday of our life.

Advent is about fighting things in this world. Things like when we get drowsy and lazy in our spiritual life and in our faith. Battling the things that cause us to be tried and tested by the anxieties of daily life. There are even some of us who have to combat the distractions of just working hard at our jobs. There are some of us pulled into all the fascinating distractions of the flesh. Just look around, we fight despair, depression, and fear brought on by the circumstances of life that we can see going on around us in the world. 

If any of us can say- These things frighten me. These touch my life and are things I am fighting. Then we have the reason for Advent. Most importantly we have a reason to find advent in the everyday of our life.

Advent is the opportunity to “increase and abound in love” and “to strengthen our hearts” through our faith and the relationship we have with Jesus Christ. By this, we strive “to be blameless in holiness before God.”

Those are some of the reasons I have found for Advent; but, what does advent mean. The definition of advent is the arrival of something extraordinary.

Wake-up, repent, ask forgiveness, and embrace change to welcome the arrival of something extraordinary. Advent is the arrival of Christ in your life. Have a happy new you in Christ.

Amen.