another Advent is upon us

Nothing appeals to my appreciation of a slow, dramatic crescendo quite like Advent. Here we have the most profound of dichotomies--dark and light--juxtaposed within an ancient and beautiful framework of Church history and tradition. It is the month-long celebration of hope piercing through, the beginning of Life's conquest over Death.

We are coming up on something very meaningful, and for more important reasons than just the nice symbolism of it all. This thing we celebrate--this glorious thing--is human history. And because it's part of our past, it's also part of our present and our future.

I was first directed to this idea when reading N.T. Wright's "Surprised by Hope" In it, he notes that the resurrection of Christ is a historical event, something that happened in our world, so its effects must also be dealt with today. The book develops this idea, and others, very fully and inspirationally. You should read it.

A historical reality has to affect our present reality one way or another. To say otherwise would be to say the effects of the fall of Rome can be ignored, or the effects of the Holocaust can be ignored. We know that's not true; even those of us far removed from historical events of this magnitude study them in school, and they have brought our culture to its present state. They affect us somehow. Of course, you could argue the premise, if you wish, and say that the resurrection of Christ is myth--nothing more than a fairy tale or religion-starter fodder, and certainly not historical reality. But you have to recognize in making that argument, you are still affected by the idea and the claim to the contrary, to the point where you are opposing it. My starting point is always going to be a worldview which accepts the reality of Christ's resurrection. I can't make sense out of anything else in this world without it. Consequently, and necessarily, my current reality is also affected by the past reality of Christ's resurrection. I can't ignore it, in the same way I can't ignore any of the other events that have brought our world to its present state.

Quite naturally, Christ's birth carries with it similar implications. Can it be ignored? Not if you believe he was actually born (and most people seem to). But it can be trivialized, and that is the most clear and present danger, as I see it. Instead of concentrating our minds on the reality of Christ's birth and its consequences for humankind, we busy ourselves with its shadow--the abstraction, the symbolism. It's not about Christ anymore, so much as it's about the Christmas spirit, generosity, good-will, family, what have you.

This is one of the reasons we will be observing Advent again this year at ROL. It's a chance to go against our cultural thirst for instant gratification. It's a chance to slow down and reflect on the reality of Christ's birth and what it introduced into a fallen world. More importantly, it's a chance for us to go beyond paying lip service to keeping Christ central during the entire holiday season.

Mark your calendars. Nov. 27 is the first Sunday of Advent. I look forward to observing it with you and Christians around the globe.

Jeff