Come again...

Categories: god

Tags: God, waiting, Church, Christianity, Christ, Advent

Date: 20 December 2012 08:21:45

Blogging through Advent 16

Come again...

Advent is a time of waiting. Something we are not very good at. We cannot wait for Christmas, the cards are in the shops in August, carols are being played in shops in November and trees are up and town centres illuminated in early December. Works, Societies and even churches hold their Christmas parties in the season of Advent, making the Christmas period itself, except for the first few days, a bit of a let down. Christmas closes early. Shops have their trimmings down (and Easter Eggs on the shelves) well before twelfth night: Christmas never makes through the twelve feast days to Epiphany, never mind the full forty days to Candlemas. Has anyone seen the Christmas crib still on display on February 1st 0r 2nd? Me neither. But we are still waiting. Advent is as much about waiting for Christ to return as it is about waiting for the incarnation. Christ hasn't come back; we are waiting impatiently. So impatiently that there hasn't been a generation since the time of the Apostles that has claimed that their generation is the last one before Christ returns. We have good reason for being impatient. We are told we are to watch, to stay alert. Nowhere are we told that because it hasn't happened yet that we are to act as if everything is alright because there is little chance of it happening now. There is confusion. The Bible often talks as if the events of Christ's passion and his coming again are one event, there is little to separate the two. Look at what John the Baptist said in last Sunday's Gospel reading:

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptise you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ — Luke 3:15-17 NRSV

John combines Jesus baptising in the Holy Spirit and his judgement as one event. We are left in a quandary On the one hand we are living our normal lives, bringing up the next generation and passing on a faith with a long history. On the other hand we are impatient,waiting for Christ to return soon.

Even so come Lord Jesus.