THE SIGNS AND SYMBOLS OF ADVENT

Kate Thoresen November 29

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Luke 21:25-36

Let us continue to stand for the reading of our Gospel lesson for today, the First Sunday in Advent. Advent means "coming." And Christians throughout the ages have prepared for the coming of Christ, not only born as a child two thousand years ago, but also the Second coming of Christ as revealed in God's plan for the future. This Second Advent of Christ is the focus of Jesus' words to his followers in Luke 21.

²⁵"There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. ²⁶People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory. ²⁸Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

²⁹Then he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees; ³⁰as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. ³¹So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. ³²Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. ³³Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."

³⁴"Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, ³⁵like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place and to stand before the Son of Man."

This is the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Praise be to you, O Christ.

Prayer: God of hope, peace, joy and love, guide us by the power of your Holy Spirit to hear your message to us this day and help us to apply it to our lives, through Christ we pray. Amen.

THE SIGNS AND SYMBOLS OF ADVENT

When our grandson, Tyler, was about 3 years old, he went around saying, "What's the point? What's the point?" I think he got it off of one of his cartoon characters. But that stayed with me because many times we may ask ourselves, "What's the point?"

Today we'll be having the traditional "Hanging of the Greens" in our sanctuary. But what's the point of all this? After the service we will set up the Christmas tree, decorate it with special ornaments called chrismons, and put up the garland swags. These are not just seasonal decorations to look nice; each of these carries rich meaning that keeps us alert to the true purpose of the holy seasons of Advent and Christmas. They provide a powerful means by which we can look beyond the superficial and realize the deeper truths represented by these symbols of Advent.

So later on someone, maybe a child or a neighbor of a different nationality and faith, may ask you "What's the point of these signs and symbols of Advent?"

What's the point of the four weeks of Advent? Advent means "coming." The first day of Advent is actually the first day of our Christian liturgical year. Advent anticipates the coming of another year to grow closer to God and to follow Jesus Christ in our daily lives. Advent starts our spiritual journey as we prepare for Christmas, then move together through the seasons of Epiphany, Lent, Easter and Pentecost. Each one of these seasons has its own colors and symbols. Notice how the hymns in our hymnal are arranged according to our Christian year. The hymns of Advent begin first.

Traditionally Advent refers to the coming or arrival of Christ. This entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent which our scripture reading in Luke 21 refers to.

So often the four weeks before Christmas are measured in how many shopping days we have left until the big day, in how many Christmas cards or emails we might send out this year, or in making travel plans to see loved ones.

In our Christian tradition, Advent is far more than simply preparations to mark a 2,000 year old event in history. It also anticipates that Christ will come again and the culmination of God's reign of peace and justice will be finally achieved. Luke 21 gives us this view of Christ's Second Advent. It weaves together themes of accountability for faithfulness at Christ's coming, judgment on sin, and the hope of eternal life.

Advent affirms that God is indeed in charge of this world even when present circumstances may shout otherwise. Advent anticipates that we can be freed from our anxieties, fears, and sins. Advent assures us that even in our most distressful of times-those times when our world seems to be falling apart, that Christ will come to us in new and unexpected ways. When we hit rock bottom is when we discover the Rock of Ages. When life is at its darkest, Christ, the Light of the world, comes in and shines through. We can place our hope that the power of God can still change lives today---and tomorrow! Thus the spirit of Advent is one of hope, peace, joy and love.

Why do we use the color purple during this time? What's the point of purple? Historically, the primary sanctuary color of Advent is Purple. This is the color of penitence and fasting as well as the color of royalty to welcome the Advent of the King. The purple of Advent is also the color of suffering used during Lent and Holy Week. The color purple points to an important connection between Jesus' birth and death. Christ's incarnation cannot be separated from his crucifixion and resurrection. So the paraments that hang from the pulpit, the wall hangings and the candles are often purple.

In recent times, however, Advent has undergone a shift in emphasis, reflected in a change of colors used in many churches. Many Protestant churches now use blue to distinguish the Season of Advent from Lent. Royal Blue is sometimes used as a symbol of royalty. Some churches use Bright Blue to symbolize the night sky, the anticipation of the impending announcement of the King's coming, or to symbolize the waters of Genesis 1, the beginning of a new creation.

What's the point of the hanging of the greens and having evergreen trees, an evergreen wreath and evergreen swags? These decorations symbolize the new and everlasting life brought through Jesus the Christ.

You've already heard Jill talk about the Advent wreath. The evergreen circle points to everlasting life as well as of God's endless love revealed through Jesus Christ. You saw that there are four candles that are lighted. Today we lit the first candle, the candle of hope. Next week will be peace. The third will be joy, and that one is pink to express the jubilation of Christ's coming. The fourth represents the love that Christ embodies and that we are to share. The center candle is white that stands for the purity of Christ and that he is the Light of the world for all generations.

What do the ornaments on the tree represent? Handmade Christmas tree ornaments have been popular since the first Christmas trees were used in sixteenth century Europe. A fairly recent innovation to this practice came from a Lutheran Church in Danville, Virginia. In 1957 Francis Kipps Spencer used various monograms and symbols for Christ. Her source of inspiration came from the Scriptures which are full of the Names of Christ. There are over 60 which illustrate his character and work.

In addition, some chrismons are based on symbols which the early Christians used, such as the fish. They were designed, carved and drawn by some of the earliest Christians and were found in many places: in jewelry and utensils, in the catacombs, and on doors and buildings. They were used by early Christians to show their faith to the world.

Chrismons are always made in gold and white to symbolize Christ's purity, holiness and majesty. The practice of creating and using these ornaments has spread and is becoming an increasingly popular way for families and churches to retain a sense of the sacred amid the secularization of this important Christian holiday.

Later on in the season the children and youth will present a musical about ornaments on a Christmas tree.

As you can see, the chrismons can be made from a variety of materials. They were hand made by people of the church.

What are some of the symbols of chrismons that we'll be hanging on our tree in the sanctuary today? These are just some examples of the scores if not hundreds of common, historical chrismons:

• Ship on open waters - represents the community of the Christian Church
• Anchored Cross - a Christian cross shaped like an anchor, symbolizing the steadfast faithfulness of God
• Seashell - (the water of) Baptism
• Trefoil - a three-pointed knot symbolic of the Trinity
• Star of David - Christ Jesus' heritage as a descendent of King David
• Butterfly rebirth, resurrection and new life
• Crown - Christ the King
• Alpha and Omega - These Greek letters, ? and ? respectively, together are a reference to Jesus Christ's self-description in Revelation 22:13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."
• King's Crown- shows royalty and power

Outside the sanctuary will stand another symbol of Advent: the Giving Tree. This tree is offered to bring tangible signs of hope and good-will to people throughout our community. Every member is encouraged to bring something for this tree that is meant to share Christian faith and love outside the walls. What a powerful symbol of Christians living out their faith in a hungry and hurting world. It is a visible and living expression that we as Christians are not meant to simply receive the Lord Jesus Christ into our lives, but to be his hands and feet that actively go out into a world in desperate need of his coming.

We get to take part in as Christ transforms hunger into food for all, aimlessness into meaningfulness, fear into faith, distress into hope, and, estranged relationships into caring compassion.

And so, the point of the holy season of Advent is that it is a sacred a time of remembering, of hopeful waiting, and of expecting the coming of Christ. The Season of Advent invites us to see beyond the superficial, over the top secular twists that our over commercialized culture proclaims. It gives us sacred space to reflect and pray about the deeper, life-giving meaning of our faith.

It is a time to stand firm in our faith and to look up and not get caught up in the distractions of fear and foreboding and anxieties. It also invites us to reflect upon our complicity in the woundedness of our world. As we anticipate a day of reckoning, we take time to take an honest inventory of our words and actions and where we went wrong.

Yet the mood for Advent is quiet joy marked by an expectant, confident hope. It points to God who created us as well as to God who redeems us and will continue to sustain us on this sacred journey. Advent gives us time to truly reflect upon the gift of Jesus Christ. So whatever our current circumstances, we can look up and see signs and symbols all around us that Christ has come, Christ is coming daily into our lives, and that Christ in total triumph will come again.

So let the words we sang in our opening hymn become the prayer of our hearts this holy season.

"Come, thou long expected Jesus, born to set thy people free. From our fears and sins release us; let us find our rest in Thee. Born thy people to deliver; born a child and yet a King. Born to reign in us forever; now Thy gracious kingdom bring. By Thine own eternal Spirit rule in all our hearts alone. By Thine all sufficient merit raise us to thy glorious throne."

Advent can make innkeepers of us all as we seek to make room for the arrival of Christ. Let us, today, prepare Him room in our hearts, in our church, and in our lives.

Thanks be to God in whom we live and move and have our being.

Amen. And Amen.

©Kate Thoresen 2009