Boundaries in Advent: Hope

Today, we light the blue candle of hope as we rejoice in the hope at the second coming of Christ and the daily joy he brings into our lives.

We relight the green candle of faith to kindle within us the faith we are to have in God’s promises.

Luke 1:5-31

“You can’t see the forest for the trees!”

I have to admit, this idiom confused me when I was a child. At the time, my house was surrounded by trees and there’s still a wooded area filled with mature oaks and ashes between us and a neighbor. In fact, the neighborhood used to be in a deeply wooded area of an abandoned farm. I remember exploring nearby creeks and walking into an old cow field with friends. To me, my home was in a forest because of the trees!

As usually happens, time changed both my understanding of the proverb and perspective of the world around me. As my neighborhood grew, I realized my “forest” was just a highly wooded area that was ignored by farmers due to the hills and creeks. The actual farm itself was much bigger, flatter, and treeless. And as I went to school, I realized forests ranged in climate, size, and biological diversity. Thus I understood, trees do not a forest make.

Today, we’re often overwhelmed with those things which intrude upon our life and demand our immediate attention. Sometimes its the ads, billboards, and crazy commercials enticing us to go buy something. Other times its a shockingly violent event which rips people away from loved ones. Or it could be daily pressures of work, family, and even church. Each in their own way pushes us to look solely at them. They seem to press us to accept or create solutions just to get past the stress they make.

“Buy this shampoo or this new car! If not, how will you show you have value or love someone?”

“This is just terrible and it shows the lengths they will take to make us unsafe and less free! We need to let them know that we won’t put up with this or the excuses they have any more.”

“Can you work on this project after hours? I know the holidays are coming up, but I’ll get you over-time for it!”

Granted, these are exaggerated stereotypes (the last being a possible exception). Yet their messages are very real. Here’s a problem that will make life unbearably worse for you if left unresolved. Your only hope is to do this. And fortunately for you, we have this to make your life and problems go away. This is your hope.

But the solution is never satisfying. The new car will likely have recalls in the future. If it doesn’t, it will be out of date by the end of the year and the car manufacturer will be trying to sell you a new one. There will always be, sadly, another horrific event days prior to, after, or on family celebrations. And there will always be someone to blame. The boss is never satisfied with your long hours because there’s always a new project from the top or new growth goals to be met in the following year. And let’s face it, modernity has not really helped families to grow and be stronger. Instead it only finds new ways to pull and tear them apart.

Thus, the solutions they feign to offer are really just setting you up for false hope.

In today’s reading, the priest Zacharias faces the cultural shame of being childless in his old age. He and his wife Elizabeth had hoped and prayed for God to grant them a child. Zacharias was so focused on this that when the archangel Gabriel predicted his son’s birth, the priest completely missed the angel’s promise of the Messiah his child would proclaim. He had missed the forest for the trees. The ultimate solution, the great hope for Zacharias’ and all of our moments of despair is Christ.

In Christ, the sins of people which Zacharias was bound to help reconcile with God would be forgiven. In Christ, the hope of restoring humanity is found. In Christ, we can show true love to others, be free of all forms of oppression and fear, and find the peace of soul so often looked for but never found. This does not mean faith in Christ will magically solve all of our problems. But in this advent season, let us refrain from putting too much hope in anything being able to solve all of our problems and woes. Let us instead faithfully hope in the redemptive power of Christ who was and is to come.

Boundaries in Advent: Faith

Today, we light the green candle of faith to remind us of our faith in the promises of God and the coming of His Son.  Let us reflect on the great mercy bestowed upon the world by Christ’s first coming and remove those obstacles which prevent us from sharing the gospel with others and readying ourselves for his return.

Isaiah 9:2, 6-7, 40:3-5, 52:7

This is a bizarre time of year if you’re an Orthodox Christian living in the US (and probably W. Europe for that matter). Granted, one can argue any time of year will seem odd because of our observation of two calendars: civic and ecclesial. And before anyone gets their hopes up, I’m not diving into the Old vs. New Calendar debates. Rather, I’m looking at the seasonal expectations of both the secular and spiritual worlds expect during this time of year.

As mentioned in my last post, the secular world begins to ramp up its commercialization with new or old items for sale at discounted prices. Family, friends, and the warm fuzzy feelings they produce suddenly become essential virtues when the rest of the year they’re not. (Unless you can use it to market a product.) Food, especially candy and desserts, are pushed with greater zeal. Its only fitting that Halloween-originally Thanksgiving-is now the holiday to welcome in the gluttony season.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with any of this per se. In our world, things do grow worn and old thus needing to be replaced. And being able to do so at a cheaper rate is just good money management. After a year or more of social distancing and lockdowns, coming together with family and friends should be encouraged. And who does love indulging in few bites of Christmas cookies and fudge? Or what about a big family feast of turkey and ham?

On the other hand, the focus is shifted when looking at the Church calendar. Starting November 15th, we start the Nativity Fast. Fast. The word itself is antithetical to what the world around us is promoting. When we fast, we empty and deny ourselves what is readily available. Though the Church proscribes a strict diet, the nature of the fast is holistic. To fast as a Christian is to withdraw our reliance on material goods and pleasures. To fast is to recognize how we are intentionally loving or being unloving to others. To fast is to deny our cravings, our passions.

To observe one season faithfully is to say to the other, “You’re too limiting and oppressive! What I want is not wrong.” To observe the other, “What you’re offering is nice, but isn’t necessary right now.” And thus the conflict for the Christian who wants to enjoy the holiday season with those around them while observing the Tradition of the Church.

In our reading today, the prophet Isaiah declares those in darkness and death have seen a great light. This light is revealed to be the birth of a child whose birth promises the reign of a new king. And the prophet predicts everything which one hopes for in a new monarch: peace, justice, and salvation. But this is not all Isaiah has to say on the matter. He also charges us his audience to prepare the way and declare the reign of this new king. This prince’s birth is not all about the glamorous celebrations or pursuing our own concepts of celebrating. It involves work. Even the starting point of this work, the wilderness, implies the hardship of initiating the task by starting in a place most people do not want to be.

Yet it is from the wilderness the great heroes of faith are called. Abraham is led out of the civilized world of Mesopotamia and into the unknown making him the father of the faithful. Moses flees to the desert until the time was right for God to call him back to Egypt. David lived and worked in the wilderness both as a shepherd and as a fugitive from Saul and later Absalom. In both cases, he wrote psalms that are still chanted today. Elijah went into the wilderness and was spoken to by God in a gentle whisper. Out of the wilderness came John the Baptist who was the greatest born among women. Into the wilderness, our Christ was tested. And let us not forget those who lived the remainder of their lives in deserts to model true obedience (Anthony the Great, Mary of Egypt, Cuthbert, etc.). The desert is not supposed to be inviting or easy. Instead it prepares us for what is to come.

This Advent Season, let us be sober and mindful of how we prepare for the coming feast. Yes, we should not forget to give gifts to others, entertain and be entertained by family, and enjoy the meals set before us. But this is not what is necessary or the focus of Advent. Rather, the focus is on preparing our hearts and minds to better receive him.

Boundaries in Advent

Veni, veni, Emmanuel

Last year, the Christmas season came a little earlier for some. We might chalk this up to the chaos and uncertainty brought to us by COVID-19. After all, nothing seems to lift up the spirits than seeing those fun, warm glowing lights hanging on the landscaping. And the sound of Christmas songs and music (well, most of them) is sure to put a smile on even the grumpiest of people. Of course some might say the virus was just a convenient excuse to continue the ever growing creep of holiday sales to extend well beyond the normal limits of the Christmas season. A rather ugly accusation to cast, but not necessarily an incorrect one.

Where I am, a local radio station began its 24/7 Christmas music marathon on November 1st just like last year. A number of stores and local merchants were rushing to put up Christmas themed décor and began pushing holiday themed products to the front around Halloween. Just like last year. And anything resembling Thanksgiving (for my non-American readers, this once major holiday is celebrated at the end of November) was given a small spot on a shelf to give the real money-making holiday plenty of room to rake in the sales. Again, just like last year.

Of course, my personal experiences do not equate to universal generalizations. No doubt in some parts of the country, stores were going non-stop Christmas by mid-October so that the ghosts and ghouls of Halloween were having to share the spotlight with Santa’s elves. And in other places, the Christmas-mania won’t start until “Black Friday” (day after America’s Thanksgiving) or a couple weeks later. Plus, this year hasn’t been all that great either even if most of the country isn’t under mandatory lockdowns. Not to mention the transportation problems for getting freighting goods and the rise in inflation will no doubt leave a mark on this year’s holiday festivities. So why not suffer a little early Christmas celebrations?

Because we end up robbing ourselves of the joys this season offers. In fact, one ought to consider different parts of our lives as seasons. Yes, sometimes summer and fall do blend together where we experience some unnaturally cool days in summer and oddly warm for autumn. Yet, we do recognize a definite change. The days get shorter and the nights longer. School has started and so do the harvest chores. And even Mother Nature begins to get her act together and the temperatures do drop and so do the leaves. Summer and all that it brings has come to an end. Fall is here. And there’s quite a bit to enjoy in autumn.

Unfortunately, our modern achievements have practically made us gods so that if we want to deny the reality around us we can. Don’t like the cooler weather? Take a trip somewhere warmer. The Gulf Coast is still pretty decent this time of year. And if you can afford it (provided, of course, the restrictions on being vaccinated) you can travel somewhere in the world where it is spring or summer instead of fall. Miss the foods that normally ripen a particular time of year? No worries! A nearby town or city no doubt has a global or national grocery chain that can provide it for you. You might have to pay a little more for getting it out of season, but at least it beats waiting for it to be in season.

But this near instant gratification of our desires denies us the opportunity of truly enjoying those things we want. Think for a moment and consider how you would live if every day you were on vacation at your favorite place to visit. Sounds amazing, right? No doubt a dream come true if you’re feeling burned out by your job or current environment. And perhaps, the first few days or couple of weeks you’d find the whole experience glorious. But at some point, you’ll grow tired of the surroundings. The weather could always be better. The servers at your preferred restaurants could be more courteous and professional. And let’s not forget finding a way to make this dream-come-true situation possible. That hotel, condominium, or cabin won’t pay for itself. And as amazing as the sites and sounds may be, they soon become mundane after frequent visits. Eventually, your vacation becomes a chore and will wear you down the longer you stay there. It will lose its specialness.

This is the reason the Church Year has seasons. Unlike the world which tries to gorge itself with more and more of what it desires with less and less satisfaction, the Church teaches us to say, “Not now. I’ll wait.”

This Advent season, I’d like to explore boundaries we need to set in our lives to better appreciate the joys to come. We should not be so limiting in our boundaries that we miss or short-change ourselves in getting to celebrate Christmas for only a few moments. But we should start recognizing the need for boundaries so that we don’t rob ourselves of actually experiencing true joy either.