Peter Espeut IN THE midst of political change and football change, we have also changed religious seasons. Sunday gone was the first day of the new church year, the beginning of the season of Advent, and so I would like to wish you all a 'Happy New Year'. These seasons are a part of our Jamaican religious culture, and previous administrations have assisted by making the holiest days Christmas Day, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Easter (Monday) public holidays. As we become more secular, sadly, this cultural heritage is being lost, and the only significance of these holy days seems to be this dance or that fair or t'other agricultural show; so today I would like to try to capture for you the spirit of Advent.
This beginning of the annual religious cycle is an exciting time of waiting and expectation, and as with the whole church year, is a microcosm of Christian life. In Advent we "Prepare a way for the Lord", we put ourselves in the place of the early Jews as they looked forward to the coming of the Messiah. Of course He has already come, but in Advent in our worship, we seek to recreate the thrill of anticipation as we examine the prophecies and the promises which have led to the Father sending his Son at the first Christmas. And the excitement of expectation helps us to appreciate Christmas more when it comes.
CHRISTIAN TRADITION
And so we sing hymns such as 'O Come, O Come Emmanuel', 'Come, thou long Expected Jesus', 'Maranatha', and 'On Jordan's Bank the Baptists Cry'. In this older Christian tradition we do not sing Christmas Carols in Advent. Christmas Carols are first sung on Christmas Eve night, and then are sung throughout the rest of the Christmas Season (until Epiphany). It is so jarring to hear the radio stations playing Christmas Carols in November, and then have them stop dead on Boxing Day. It is this which creates the impression that Christmas is only a time for shopping. I must say that this year I did not hear many Christmas Carols in November (although I did hear some), and I congratulate the radio stations for that. I would encourage them, however, to continue playing Carols until January 6, the celebration of the day when the three wise men from the East visited the new-born King.
But Advent is more than just a time to prepare for Christmas; it is a special time of preparation for the second coming of Jesus at the time of the end of the world. Christians today must also experience the thrill of anticipation of what will become of the world - of humanity and of natural ecosystems on that great day. Every time we say the Lord's Prayer we pray for the coming of the Kingdom of God; and that new heaven and new earth will come; we just don't know the day or the hour. But Advent is that special time of year when we explore the mysteries of the 'end-times', the 'Parousia', or what theologians call the 'eschaton'.
As I said above, each season Advent included is a microcosm of Christian life. For all twelve months of the year we should live in the expectation of the Parousia, not just during the Advent season (just as every week on Sunday we relive the Easter mysteries). Indeed, since all Christians should look forward to Jesus' coming, we all are Adventists. It would not be wrong to call most Christians 'First Day Adventists', since following ancient Christian tradition, that is the day we keep holy as 'the Lord's Day'.
SEEK FORGIVENESS
When the Lord comes, he must find us ready, and that is why Advent is a penitential time. One of the ways we prepare for the coming of Jesus at Christmas is to examine our lives and to confess our sins before the Lord to seek forgiveness, and to make ourselves as blameless as we can, so that on that great Judgement Day we will be numbered among the sheep rather than among the goats. Those who take these times of cleansing seriously, find them very uplifting, for sin is a heavy burden, and forgiveness and reconciliation lightens our load. "Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount upon wings like eagles." Advent is indeed an exciting and refreshing time.
These seasons of renewal could be such moments for personal and national growth and development. On Sundays and other holy days our churches are packed with politicians and the leaders of the private and public sectors, and yet inefficiency, corruption and violence are still all too common. Yet there is hope! I note that this is the third week since the announcement of the arrest of the policemen for the killings at Braeton, and still we have no new questionable police killings. Advent is a season of hope!
Peter Espeut is a Sociologist and an ordained Deacon of the Roman Catholic Church.
