Today, the first Sunday of Advent, we had a dialog sermon between the pastor and a parishioner, Barb. We talked about remembering and anticipating the coming of Jesus. We look back to Jesus’ coming as a vulnerable infant, and we wait with anticipation for his coming again. But most importantly, right now, we look for his coming into our lives.
Jesus’ coming again will be at an unexpected time, according to Matthew’s gospel, chapter 24. So is his coming into our lives! We can be too busy in our daily routines, with special events, or in selfish preoccupations. So were the early Christians. St. Paul writes in the 13th chapter of Romans about all the ways selfishness can keep us from seeing Jesus’ coming Into our hearts and our lives. He invites those early Christians to put on “the armor of light” and to “put on our Lord Jesus Christ” in order to lay aside their selfish preoccupations.
We make ourselves ready for this “armor of light” which will help us see Jesus’ leading in our lives by trying to live the way he taught his disciples to live. The promises of our Baptismal Covenant in the Book of Common Prayer (p. 417) show us how to stay alert and be ready: to continue in the Apostles’ teaching, in the breaking of bread and in the prayers; to resist evil and when one falls into sin, repent and return to the Lord; to proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ; to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself; and to strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being.
No matter what sort of dark times we find ourselves in, the presence of Christ in our lives will allow us to see the way forward. Put on God’s gift of the armor of light. Rejoice in the presence of Christ!
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