“People look east. The time is near, of the crowing of the year.”
This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent and the start of the new year in the church calendar. Each year on the first Sunday of Advent, we start at the beginning and hear the sacred story of our faith once again. We begin by waiting with the people of Israel for the Messiah to come, longing for God’s justice, righteousness, and peace to be realized through the one known as Emmanuel.
As we wait for this coming alongside the people of Israel, we acknowledge our own sense of anxious waiting and deep longing for these same qualities of justice, righteousness, and peace to be realized in our world today. We remember just how much we need a Savior. We grow even more aware that we need the love of God in Jesus Christ to fill us anew, to remind us that we are beloved by God, and of our responsibility to share that love with all who will receive it.
During this season of Advent waiting, we catch glimpses of the way that time is mysteriously layered. We remember that Christ came long ago in Bethlehem, that Christ will come again in final glory, and that Christ is also here with us today. As we sing the words, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” we find that they are about the past, present, and future.
Our preparations during this season remind us of an ancient story, yet one that is ever new. During Advent we prepare to receive Christ anew in our hearts and in our world today.
This year we will be guided in our preparation by the words of the beautiful Advent hymn, People Look East, by Eleanor Farjeon. She was a native of London and was the beloved author of over 80 children’s books and poems and the recipient of various awards. There is now a Children’s Book Circle award in her name. She is best known for the words of the hymn, Morning Has Broken.
People Look East is one of my favorite Advent hymns because of way it captures the joy and the anticipation of the season. There is much to do as we prepare for Christmas. Often we focus on the external preparations, the decorating, cooking, and shopping. We do these things, however, to remind ourselves of the internal preparations, the spiritual work that connects us to the reason for the season. We prepare to welcome God’s love in Jesus Christ into our lives and hearts and we prepare to share that love with the world in tangible acts of hospitality and welcome.
This Sunday we will focus on the line of the hymn that reminds us, “Love, the guest, is on the way.”
May all of our preparations during this Advent season make more space for the love of God in Jesus Christ in our lives and in our world.
Advent blessings,
Pastor Suzanne