The wait is almost over

It's the fourth Sunday of Advent and the waiting is almost over. All four candles of Advent are lit. We wait to light the Christ candle on Christmas Eve to proclaim his birth!

I have been rigorous during the Advent hymn study to stay with Advent themes and songs. But this evening, for the fourth and final Sunday of Advent, I let up a bit on being the Advent police and allowed the group the chance to examine a Christmas carol. I chose "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing" for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, it was written by Charles Wesley and I lead the study at a United Methodist Church. Somehow, I find it a little hard to ignore one of the most popular Christmas hymns in Christendom that is penned by the brother of the guy who helped gather "the people who are called Methodist". Second good reason for the selection is the fact that there is some great theology in the carol. Thirdly, I like the fact that the 'herald angels' are the ones who go out and proclaim this incredible event that happened. They are bringing the good news of this birth to the rest of the world. Without the angels appearing to the shepherds and bringing them tidings of great joy to tell them what happened over in Bethlehem, David's city, (Luke 2:8-14) the event would have slipped by unawares except for some Magi who arrive a week and a half later (Matthew 2:1-12).

Another reason why I chose this hymn is that it does not take us to the stable, manger or cave in which Jesus is reported to have been born. Sure, the iconic image of the humble stable in Bethlehem are conjured up with the first verse, but the focus of the hymn is Jesus. We see all sorts of names for Jesus; a King, Christ, Lord, incarnate diety, Emmanuel or "God is with us", Prince of Peace and Son of Righteousness. And so it is with Christmas, all sorts of ways that celebrate that something special happened in that little city of Bethlehem. And so it will be this week as we continue to get ready to celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas.

Hark! the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King;
peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations rise, join the triumph of the skies;
with th’ angelic host proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

Christ, by highest heaven adored; Christ, the everlasting Lord;
late in time behold him come, offspring of a virgin’s womb,
Veiled in flesh his Godhead see; hail th’ incarnate Deity
pleased with us in flesh to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel.

Hail the heaven born Prince of Peace! Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings, risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lay his glory by, born that we no more may die,
born to raise us from the earth, born to give us second birth.

Just what are we waiting for?

Traditionally, on the third Sunday in Advent, the pink candle, or the "Mary" Candle is lit. I've been hosting an Advent hymn study each Sunday evening this season at Sergeanstville UMC. In the center of our dinner table (we enjoy a mug of soup with our study) is this Advent wreath that I've lugged from Kentucky to Virginia to New Jersey without ever lighting the square pillar candles in the five years I've owned it. This year, I decided, it was finally time to light them.

What was I waiting for all these years by not lighting them? I don't really know exactly. I like the candles and that is precisely why I bought them when I saw them (besides the fact I knew they would go with a wreath and some decorations I already possessed). Maybe I never lit them the last couple of years because during the rush and crush of the end of the fall semester I wasn't interested in lighting one candle one week without being able to follow through and light the rest that Advent season. Maybe I didn't want to waste the candles on just me alone to enjoy them. Maybe I didn't want to burn them and then not have them in pristine condition for the next year. For whatever reasons I've subconsciously harbored the past five years, this is the year that I decided that they should be lit - and it's bonus points to be able to enjoy them with a small group of people each Sunday evening as we discuss Advent hymns and consider what it is that we are expecting at the start of the church year as we anticipate the arrival of the Christ child in the nativity at Christmas.

This evening we examined "Hail to the Lord's Anointed" written by James Montgomery in 1821. Granted, its a little more obscure than the last two we discussed (Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus and O Come, O Come Emmanuel). And the reason that might be (I am totally guessing here) is that this hymn really focuses on the other Advent we expect and wait for - the second and final triumphant coming of Christ. This hymn makes no reference to the birth of Jesus and does not really conjure up Christmas like visions of sugar plums or even idyllic pageants with kids wearing robes and cloaks pretending to be characters in the Nativity scene. Montgomery's hymn goes straight to the heart of what Christians believe Jesus will do when he comes again - bring mercy, end strife, break oppression and let peace reign throughout all creation. And though those ideas are linked to the baby born in Bethlehem, mostly we project them more on the man that baby eventually came and the ministry he inaugurated. In his hymn, Montgomery invites us to look past Bethlehem, look past Galilee, look past Jerusalem, look past even the passion, death and resurrection of Christ to the time when he comes again...when sorrow and sadness are no more. This hymn in my opinion - and admittedly its one I've barely ever sung in my lifetime - picks up the themes that are latent in our other Advent hymns and Christmas carols: there are really, really, really good things coming, things like joy to the world, peace on earth, and good will among all people. But now, in the meantime, we aren't simply stuck in the darkness on our own waiting for Christ to come rescue us. Advent candles remind us the light of God already shines in our lives and when we share it with others we know a little of that joy, peace and good will. Right now we only know it in glimpses and in part. And one day we will know it totally and for all eternity.

Hail to the Lord’s Anointed, great David’s greater Son!
Hail in the time appointed, his reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression, to set the captives free;
to take away transgression, and rule in equity.

He comes with succor speedy to those who suffer wrong;
to help the poor and needy, and bid the weak be strong;
to give them songs for sighing, their darkness turn to light,
whose souls, condemned and dying, are precious in his sight.

He shall come down like showers upon the fruitful earth;
love, joy, and hope, like flowers, spring in his path to birth.
Before him, on the mountains, shall peace, the herald, go,
and righteousness, in fountains, from hill to valley flow.

To him shall prayer unceasing and daily vows ascend;
his kingdom still increasing, a kingdom without end.
The tide of time shall never his covenant remove;
his name shall stand forever, that name to us is love.

Advent - waiting for what is to come

This evening I am leading an Advent hymn study on "O Come, O Come Emmanuel", a traditional carol that has been a part of Christian hymnody since the 9th century. Last week we studied "Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus" written some 250 years ago by Charles Wesley. It's no mistake that these two hymns begin with the word 'come' because Advent means "to come". Most Advent hymns revolve around the theme of waiting and preparing and being expectant about what is coming. Christmas is coming. It isn't here yet. I hate to break it to you folks, but regardless of what the merchandisers tell you and the cacophony of Christmas carols and songs on the radio, Christmas has not come yet. But it will be here soon - it's just not now - it's still coming!

And what is coming is so good, we can't wait for it to begin to celebrate. We allow ourselves to start to celebrate a little early. I don't think that is entirely a bad thing either. After all, is it really possible to contain all the joy and love that Christmas represents in a 12 day festival? The other evening, I watched "A Christmas Carol" with my sister-in-law Lorraine and was intrigued by the use of the word 'come' in the Christmas morning scene when Scrooge had learned his lesson about celebrating and keeping Christmas. In the Disney movie, the carolers are singing "Joy to the world, the Lord is come" because it is finally Christmas. The waiting is over, the celebrations begin, the earth rejoices, and on that first day of Christmas our true love gives us a partridge in a pear tree.

But for now it's still Advent. Time to wait for what is coming. Time to prepare. Two more Sundays to light the Advent wreath. Today is December 5th and that almost 20 more days of opening little cardboard doors on daily Advent calendars to see what is behind them. Almost twenty more days of pinning little ornaments to the daily Advent calendar. Almost three more weeks of waiting for what is to come. And no one ever said waiting was easy - especially when we are excited about what is coming.

Waiting for Christmas each year is hard. It's hard on kids excited to see what gifts Santa is going to put under the tree. It's hard on adults wondering if the expectations for the holiday will be met. It's especially hard on those of us who have lost a loved one when we realize that this year we won't be celebrating with someone we've loved deeply and we suddenly miss that person with agonizing acuteness that threatens to deaden the whole holiday. But Advent calls us to wait for what is coming. But it doesn't ask us to wait passively; it calls us to wait expectantly. Appropriately, each stanza of today's hymn captures the excruciating labor of waiting for extraordinarily wondrous Emmanuel - the 'God who is with us' - that is still to come.

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel, shall come to thee, O Israel.

O Come, thou Wisdom from on high, and order all things far and nigh;
to us the path of knowledge show and cause us in her ways to go.

O Come, O Come, great Lord of might, who to thy tribes on Sinai’s height
in ancient times once gave the law in cloud and majesty and awe

O Come thou Root of Jesse’s tree, an ensign of the people be;
before thee rulers silent fall; all peoples on they mercy call.

O Come, thou Key of David, come, and open wide our heavenly home.
The captives from their prison free, and conquer death’s deep misery.

O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by thy justice here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadows put to flight.

O come, Desire of nations bind all peoples in one heard and mind.
From dust thou brought us forth to life; deliver us from earthly strife.