As we celebrate the first Sunday of Advent, the message to us from our readings is one of anticipation, and a call to watchfulness. The season itself is one of preparing ourselves and of anticipating the celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ at Christmas. It is a time for prayer and self-evaluation, as well as taking action.
In our first reading from the prophet Isaiah, as well as in our Gospel, we are called to an accounting of our own sinfulness, and to be watchful for the coming of the Master. It is a time of focused humility as we honestly assess our own shortcomings, even in the things we did “right”, because no matter how well we may have accomplished some things, it is only done well by human standards, not by those of God. This should not be seen as a discouraging statement, as no one can truly measure up to the standards of someone who is perfection, power, and creation incarnate. It is instead an opportunity to humbly ask the One who is perfect to look mercifully upon our shortcomings, and to forgive us.
One of the things that always comes with the season, is a distinct change in our outlook on our fellow man, our extension of generosity, and perhaps our willingness to more overtly express love to those around us. This is a nice occurrence, but if we are really caught up in what should be the true manifestation of this season, it should also be a time of questioning why we did not do these things for our brothers and sisters in Christ all year round. Why do we only now focus so much more on modeling our behavior after our Lord? This is not to say we should not, it is simply an acknowledgement of how far we have yet to go in our learning and our pursuit of modeling ourselves after Christ. As the saying goes, we can’t fix something if we don’t recognize that it is broken.
In this season, let us not be discouraged with our brokenness, but optimistically look to how to fix it. Let’s take the time to step back from the rush and immerse ourselves in what is truly a worthy gift to our Lord for the celebration of His birth – our humility and love. Let’s express it with joy and not out of a sense of obligation. Let’s awaken from the sleep that we were caught up in during the year and prepare ourselves so that we are not lacking in spiritual gifts to lay at His feet when He comes and finds us watchful for Him.
The Deacons Bench 