Advent derives from the Latin adventus, ad (to) and ventus (come). During Advent, we anticipate the coming of Christ in a two-fold sense: in preparation for the celebration of Christmas and in the coming of Christ wherein the new age is fully ushered in. The four Sundays of Advent focus on Hope, peace, joy, and love.
In Advent there is a sense of longing, waiting, watching, and hoping. This weeks Revised Common Lectionary reading from 2 Peter 3 speaks of the coming of the Day of the Lord. It concludes with these words: Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation.
For generations we have attempted to forecast when Christ will come again. All such efforts have been in vain. With the instantaneous communication of world events now available, it seems the portents (earthquakes, wars, famines) are always with us.
Nonetheless, when we look at the state of our world the continuous sate of war and the abuses of wealth, power, and prestige we can identify with the pleas of the ancient Israelites: O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence that the nations might tremble at your presence.
We long for the fulfillment of the new age which is both now but not yet. In the meantime, we continue longing, waiting, watching, and hoping.
With so many wars being fought (Ukraine, Israel, Yemen, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Syria) we find ourselves longing for peace. Amid so much conflict, it is hard to be at peace. It might help to remember the current conflicts pale by comparison to the world wars fought in the last century. Someday we might learn that wars have no winners everyone loses, so a win goes to the country that loses the least. Let us work to find peace in our own lives, and to spread that peace to others. True peace will come only when we can all worship the Prince of Peace.
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