“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.” (Mark 13:8)
As we finish one Christian year and begin another, I am struck with the violence of the Biblical texts and how the texts speak right into our time. The wars rage on; millions live without shelter, food or sanitation. So many of the kingdoms of this world are in disarray. We are at the halfway point of the decade that surely must be known as the turbulent 2020s, and every indication is that the turbulence is only going to get worse.
In Advent the scriptures remind us that in dark times we must keep awake. We must keep watch. The Advent texts are apocalyptic, just as the times we are living in are apocalyptic. The word “apocalypse” is Greek and refers to things that were hidden from view now becoming clear. When an apocalypse happens, that which was previously hidden is laid bare. For before there can be a new heaven and a new Earth, before the Earth can be remade as a place of interconnectedness, beauty, love and justice; the pride, the greed, the hypocrisy, the unsustainability of the current system needs to be uncovered and needs to be seen.
It is time for us to take a long hard look at ourselves and our world. I am afraid that we are going to be remembered as the generation who fought so hard for our standard of living, our homes, vehicles, vacations and luxuries, who spent so much time staring at our screens, that we failed to notice that the world is burning, that the poor are suffering, that children are starving.
Perhaps, this year, more than ever, we need to hear the voice of the one in the wilderness who is going to yell at us, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Luke 3:7) And then, when we helplessly ask the prophet what we are to do, to listen to his instructions: “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” (Luke 3:11)
The Christian life is at once incredibly difficult and incredibly simple. John the Baptist, likes Jesus, reminds us that we must love our neighbours as ourselves. We must share food and clothing. We must be the good Samaritan to all in need. We must go out of our way to provide for the needs of others, even when it means self-sacrifice and inconvenience.
This Advent, may we keep awake, and this Christmas, may Christ be born anew, in our midst, in our lives and in our actions.
An invitation to morning prayer
Amidst the chaos and darkness of our current world, I find it helpful to begin each day with morning prayer, a short Anglican service of scripture readings and prayers that reconnects me with God, with our tradition and with ancient wisdom. While it was my practice to say or read morning prayer using the Mission of St. Clare, I’ve recently switched to using the Church of England app that allows me to listen to morning prayer, beautifully read and beautifully sung. If you’re not a morning person, both have evening and night prayer as well. As you are able and as suits your schedule, I’d invite you, this Advent, to also make the daily office part of your spiritual life.
