The Long Chain of Hope

Now that Thanksgiving is over, many people’s thoughts have turned to preparing for Christmas. Houses are being decorated both inside and out, often reflecting traditions of a family’s past. With all the tasks needed before Christmas, where should we be spiritually on the First Week of Advent?  

In our fast-paced world, thinking those tasks should be on the shelf until a few days before Christmas is unrealistic. So, how can we faithfully enter and genuinely live the Advent season, which tells us to watch and wait for the coming of the Savior?  The answer lies in having one foot in the pragmatic and the other in the spiritual.    

Our readings place us in a spiritual place where we should be as we begin our adventure journey.   The book of Jeremiah proclaims, “The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah.” As people who had a personal relationship with God, our ancient ancestors experienced much difficulty and suffering. They knew that no matter how much they did, they needed to be saved from the travails of life.  The hope instilled by God’s promises was so powerful that it became a part of them and how they understood themselves. Even though they were unaware that Christ was God’s ultimate response, they knew God would provide them some relief. Each generation passed down the remembrance to the generations coming after them.

The second reading from St. Paul includes the tradition and refocuses through the lens of Jesus Christ. St. Paul tells his followers they should increase their love for one another in preparation for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Just as the people during Jeremiah’s time who sought to be saved from the natural disasters of war, famine, and exile, St. Paul’s exhortations fulfilled the same purpose. Instead of natural disasters, St. Paul reminds listeners that their turmoil is between sin and judgment. It is the same cry of the deliverance of our earliest ancestors, showing the deficiency of all people and their need for God to intervene.

The Gospel reading from Luke follows a similar trajectory. It begins by telling the reader what to expect when the Son of Man returns. The natural world will manifest chaos, with the sun and stars in dismay, seas will roar, and people will die in fright. All this will happen before the Son of Man comes on a cloud in all His glory.  The person needs to be prepared for this by not becoming drowsy or only concerned with daily tasks.  Then, by praying, the encounter with the Son of God will not mimic the natural abnormalities but will be a peaceful meeting between the Savior and his people.

At the outset, we were asked how we could be present in the world and simultaneously in this Advent season. It becomes clearer that our Advent preparation starts with a premise: We are part of a long tradition of people with a relationship with God. Every person who is in that relationship has an existential need to be saved, for without God’s help, we are all doomed to die. Knowing our limitations and relying on the promise of God to save his people, we are asked to pray and love one another more deeply in preparation for our meeting with the Divine.

We shouldn’t take this meeting lightly, for all will come before the judgment seat of God. What is essential on the First Sunday of Advent is how much we need God and how we will be prepared to meet him.  In essence, Christians should live an Advent life, which means our hope for deliverance from sin and death should be a daily desire and not only relegated to four weeks in December.

As you view the first candle being lit and the relatively dim light coming from it, remind yourself that only a spark of light is reason for great hope. The dimness can remind us of past centuries and how people like you strived to live with one foot in the world and one with God. Those ancestors prepared themselves to accept the promise God offered them and are no longer in need of it, for they are at peace.       

The meaning of the first Sunday of Advent is our connection with all who acknowledged their need for God and the hope he inspires in us. So, as you shop, decorate, or whatever this week, reflect on the reality that you are a link in a long chain of humanity whose hope came to fruition in God’s promises to save his people.