Monday, December 23, 2013

CHRISTMAS SONG



 A manger bed at night in Bethlehem
The time and place for God and man to meet
An infant cry greets trembling outstretched hand
While swaddling clothes keep warm those tiny feet

The stillness of the night erupts in love
The kind of love that comes through pain of birth
A star surveys the scene from high above
While angels sing a song of peace on Earth

The Word of God within a cradle lies
Enthroned in arms of human flesh so mild
Attendant shepherds can’t believe their eyes
The hope of countless ages is a child


~ Dale Petley 1987, Richmond Corner, N.B.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

ADVENT


It is a genuine shame that the first four weeks of the Church calendar are overlooked each year in our annual gadarene rush to celebrate the Holiday Season. I suppose, given the traditional Advent themes of death, judgment, heaven, and hell, it is not hard to see why people would rather focus on the light-hearted festivities of the yuletide. Besides, most places hold their Santa Claus parades shortly after Halloween just to get us consumers in a shopping mood. It is all rather sad and appalling, really, and I’ve come to understand why the Puritans banned Christmas celebrations altogether. I know … I know; humbug!
The Season of Advent speaks of judgment and the end of time. Jesus declared that before ‘the end of days’ great signs and wonders would appear on the earth characterized by massive upheaval and destruction virtually impossible not to notice. On the other hand, Jesus also said that the end of time would be like the days of Noah, before he entered the Ark, when people were “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage.” Just as people in Noah’s day didn’t notice the flood coming, so likewise the end of time shall happen suddenly and seemingly without warning when we least expect it. So which is it? Is Judgment Day ushered in with cataclysmic, ‘can’t miss’ warning signs or does it occur all of a sudden while we are going about our lives like it’s business as usual? Surely both things are true.
It seems to me we give ourselves too much credit when we assume that if there are obvious warning signs we will (1) notice them as such, and (2) respond accordingly. What is it about human history that would lead anyone to believe this? Don’t we tend to do just the opposite? Are we not in fact experts at ignoring the obvious? Doesn’t history teach us that we refuse to learn from history? It is a willed ignorance on our part. Having self-identified as temporary creatures with an impending sell-by date we want our shot at life, our piece of the pie; our chance to shine. Desire blinds us to the lessons of the past and in our hubris we think things will be different this time, with us. We stubbornly refuse to learn from our mistakes; we callously ignore the plaintive cries of poisoned earth; and when it comes to the economy, we’re always partying like it’s 1928. We are the all-time heavyweight champions when it comes to missing the point. You see, the problem with warning signs is that you have to be awake to see them. Advent is about waking up.
If you go to a bookstore today and ask where they keep the volumes on spiritual awakening and enlightenment, chances are you’re going to end up in the Eastern Religions section, or in an area labeled New Age. While I’m happy that lots of people are interested in such matters I also remember a time when these terms were part of the common Christian vocabulary. After all, ‘Mindfulness’ and ‘Present Moment Awareness’ used to be understood as essential components  in Christian spiritual discipline back when there really was such a thing and we were interested in more than commiserating over our precious causes and cherished grievances. ‘Sleepers Awake’ is the theme of Advent, as Bach so beautifully knew.
In Advent we have the shortest day of the year, with the least light, followed by a gradual increase in illumination with each successive day. Advent is about the coming of the light in which we awaken, and when we awaken, we notice the signs. As T. S. Eliot wrote, “we arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” We desire to wake up to something unique and spectacular but the truth is better than that. The good news is that we awaken to what is always, already here … as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be.