Wake up: Advent begins!

Early one morning a mother went to wake up her son.

"Wake up, son.  It's time to get up and go to church!"

"Buy why, Mom? I don't want to go."

"Give me two reasons why you don't want to go."

"Well, for one:  it is too early in the morning, and secondly:  the ushers really don’t like me.”

"Oh, that's no reason not to go to church. Come on now and get ready."

"Give me two reasons why I *should* go to church."

"Well, for one, you're 55 years old. And for another, you're the pastor!"

Well, good morning all! I am blessed to say that I never feel like that in the morning, coming here where the ushers actually greet me with smiles and hugs, the coffee is freshly brewing, the organist is playing, the cantor is singing and the congregation is welcoming.

Good to be here this morning! Good to wake up Sunday morning, knowing where to go and why.

It is the first Sunday of Advent – and we have lit the first candle of Advent. We have come to service this First Sunday of Advent as we are seeking the light, longing for the light, waiting for more lights to be lit – and hoping that we will be walking in the light of God, as we once again embark on the path of Advent.

It is the first Sunday of Advent, and it is the first Sunday of a New Church year too: a turn of the year as we sang with Grundtvig’s hymn.

Vær Velkommen, herrens år og velkommen herhid!

Welcome, turn of the Christian Year, blessed greetings today.

Year of Grace with Gods peace and good will,  You bring us your joy on each Sunday, still.

We greet you, New Year, you are welcome here!

 

We greet this Sunday, the first of December, the first of Advent and the first of the new church year – and we get a wakeup call: Be alert, be awake, be in the light, seek the light – and lay aside the works of darkness and put the armor of light on, as Paul so eloquently wrote to the congregation in Rome.

We often talk about wake-up calls.

Something dramatic happens that reminds us of the fragility of life.

When a dear member of the congregation, unexpectedly dies and reminds us all the fragility of life.

When our teenagers are in a horrible accident, that miraculously didn’t kill them.

When we made plans for a vacation next summer, and our travel companion reveals that she has cancer.

When we pass an accident on the freeway, and realize that if we had not been delayed, we could have been killed.

When our children suddenly are grown up and become parents…. and we are the older generation.

When our friendships, marriages or relations are at a crossroad of no return.

When we realize how short, how precious, how fragile life is and how mortal we are.

Wake up calls – are moments that truly wake us from a daily drowsiness or an indifferent normalcy of life.

Advent is a perfect spiritual wake up call. That calls us to listen, to be alert, to stay awake and be present. It is still the church that has been here thousand of years, it is still the same old scriptures we listen to, - and yet we are urged to listen anew, be awake and hear God’s call.

 

Spiritual drowsiness or traditional conformity is like putting our souls on “airplane mode.” We temporarily turn off our ability to receive signals from the Lord.

Spiritual drowsiness dulls our spiritual senses … it makes us less and less aware of God’s goodness and less and less open to the needs of those around us.

Advent is a spiritual wake-up call.

I usually wake up at 6:30 am every morning. But I also have my iPhone alarm set and then 5 min. later my Fitbit Watch alarm. They are reliable and effective, but what about the other kinds of alarm clocks in life?

There are the ones that get us up (or don’t) in the mornings. And then there are the ones that happen during our lives.

Wake up calls that tells us that we have been missing out on important matters or have been prioritizing wrongly. It would be nice with a real loud alarm going off when something crucial and important happens in our lives, so we are not missing out. Something that would buzz, beep, vibrate, chime or play “Wake me up before you go go…” so we would be 100% attentive to the important things in life when it happens!  

As Christians, we are blessed to have such an alarm. It is not a piece of modern technology, that beeps, chimes, buzzes, vibrates or flashes., rather is comes into our lives as an awareness, a watchfulness. This is the season called Advent. It is a wake-up call Season. A spiritual alarm clock Season to be alert, to listen, to be present.

And it is meant to be an alarm clock to wake us to the most important things:

like beating swords to plowshares. Turning spears to pruning hooks. Making changes so our children are not dying of gun wounds or war traumas.

Throwing off the works of darkness. Putting on the light of Jesus.

Live a good life, a present life, a loving life. A life in care of our loved ones, our neighbors, our families, our friends, our small ones, our weak ones, the strangers, our community, our society, our country, our world and the entire creation. On this first Sunday of Advent, consider what it means to be good steward of this wonderful creation and be prepared for the growing changing urgencies of our environment.

Advent cries out: Be prepared and don’t miss out!

Don’t miss the opportunity to love today and tell the ones you love that you do love.

Don’t skip the chance to be reconciled.

Don’t skip the chance to live mindfully in this wonderful world and to make changes accordingly.

Don’t skip the opportunity to express your gratitude to God.

Someone commented to me about reaching Thanksgiving: “It means the craziness has begun, and it won’t stop until after Christmas.” And certainly, we can do our Advent like that, as one massive rush to Christmas. But I do not hope that we will wake up on Christmas Eve and realize that we missed our Advent Season of preparation, anticipation, expectation and attentiveness.

I almost always wake to the alarm that is beside my bed. For that, I am grateful. These Advent days, I pray for ears to hear those other alarms, those other wake up calls – to sense the presence and nearness of God in every moment, in every word, and in every person. And to let that awareness move me into action and preparation.

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Here is a version of the 23rd Psalm that ought to be mandatory reading each day of Advent, and a unison reading each Advent Sunday.

The lord is my pace setter . . . I shall not rush

He makes me stop for quiet intervals

He provides me with images of stillness which restore my serenity

He leads me in the way of efficiency through calmness of mind and his guidance is peace

Even though I have a great many things to accomplish each day, I will not fret, for his presence is here

His timelessness, his all importance will keep me in balance

He prepares refreshment and renewal during my activity by anointing my mind with his oils of tranquility

My cup of joyous energy overflows

Truly harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruits of my hours for I shall walk in the Pace of my Lord and dwell in his house for ever.

Wake up, be alert, be aware and be present. Advent has begun. Amen.