The First Baptist Church of Redlands
T A PE S T R Y
Dec 2019
Quit Speeding A Message from Pastor Shawn
Wo v e n To g e t h e r I n L o v e : C o l o s s i a n s 2 : 2
Issue No. 12
As the years have gone by I have become more connected to the liturgical year—the seasons of the church year which begin with Advent, then Christmas, followed by Epiphany, some Ordinary Time, Lent, Holy Week, Easter and Eastertide, Pentecost, some more Ordinary Time, leading up to Advent again. I am nourished by the way that the seasons move through the events and meaning surrounding Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and the life of the Church. I have found that within the seasons of the liturgical year, the various seasons of my walk with God are explored, such as waiting on God in Advent and seeing God revealed in Epiphany and my dependence on God in Lent and growing in my relationship with God in Ordinary Time. Every once in awhile I meet someone who takes the liturgical year very seriously and it comes out with a vengeance during Advent. For them one would not decorate a Christmas tree until Christmas Eve. One would not sing a Christmas Carol until Christmas Eve. And the “Liturgical Police” among them would not celebrate Christmas in any way until… (that’s right)…Christmas Eve. (Ok, I’ve never really met a “Liturgical Police” person). Though I am not a “liturgical legalist,” I do feel that when we rush right into Christmas, after the last dish is washed on Thanksgiving Day (or before), without taking time for Advent, we miss out. A simple way to look at Advent is that it is an interplay of three ribbons that are leading us to the event and message of Christmas, the coming of Christ. One ribbon is history, remembering the people of God who waited and longed for the coming of the Messiah. They struggled with hardship and exile, striving to hold on to the hope that someday the promised Messiah would come and change everything. Another ribbon is future, knowing that the world is waiting for the culmination of the Kingdom of God, when Jesus will return, and all the world is put to right. The third ribbon is the present, representing the times in our own lives and experiences with God that we are waiting for something, longing for God to do something, holding on to hope that things will be all right. The four words of Advent--Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love--take on fuller meaning when we allow ourselves to meditate on them from the perspective of each ribbon: past, future, and present. Each week as we light another candle on the Advent wreath, representing one of these words, let us allow that word to be a part of our thoughts, meditations and even study throughout the week. And when Christmas Eve arrives, we can celebrate the coming of Jesus into our world on the foundation of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. As we experience the “waiting” of Advent, the “fulfillment” that is the story of Christmas, becomes more powerful. So, let’s not get pulled over by the liturgical police for speeding through Advent on our way to Christmas. Let us experience the fullness of Advent as the ribbons of the past, future, and present gently lead us into the fulfilment of the coming of Christ into our world—Christmas! Love In Christ, Pastor Shawn