This
is the season of Advent. That word “advent” means “arrival.” You can imagine an
ancient city whose king has been away, but they’ve gotten word that he’s coming
back, and so they start to prepare. They fix what’s broken, they clean the
streets, they get things ready for their king’s arrival. That’s a pretty good
image of Advent.
Three things are happening during Advent. One thing that is happening is we’re preparing for Christmas. The songs we sing, the liturgy, and the passages we read help us get ready to honor the birth of Christ.
In this sense, we’re looking back and we reflecting on the beauty and wonder of our Lord’s Incarnation. It boggles the mind that the Creator would become a creature, that the Almighty would enter this world as a baby, that the One on whom we depend for everything would become wholly dependent and vulnerable as a child. It’s absolutely beautiful. How much must God love us to enter into this life, to live as we do with all of life’s beauty and pain, to be with us in that way? So, this part of what’s happening during Advent, we are reacquainting ourselves with this love, with this God who loves us and comes to us.
The other thing that is happening during Advent is we’re looking forward to the coming kingdom, to that moment when we will see our Lord face to face in all his glory. The True Light that came into the world once, will come again. And that is one of the main themes of Advent, light.
The theme of light brings up an important point about Advent that isn’t always made clear. For all our talk about light, there is a shadow side to Advent. Advent is not the season of light; it is the season in anticipation of the light. Advent, in keeping with the metaphor, points to a world in darkness that is waiting for the light.
Christians are in an odd position, and it is never more obvious than during Advent. On the one hand, we proclaim that the True Light has come into the world with the birth of our Lord. On the other hand, we also proclaim that same Light will come again and dispel all darkness, once and for all. And so, we live in between two definitive acts of God in the world. And, the truth be told, we own it. We don’t shy away from proclaiming that the light has come and that same light will come again. And, we don’t shy away from the reality of the present. Things are not as they should be.
Think about our passage from Isaiah. It says, “He (that is, God) shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” That passage captures that Advent hope. But, let’s be honest, the possibility that that could happen, that there would be no more war, is so fantastic that it seems only a defining act of God could bring that about. And, of course, that’s exactly what the passage is saying, God will be the One to do this.
So, this is the odd position within which Christians find themselves. One the one hand, we always work to make the world around us a better place. If we are living in this world according to God’s kingdom, then part of what that means is we’re trying to make our lives and the lives of others better. But we also recognize that ultimately, only God can set things right. There are some things only God can do.
At the UN, the United Nations Plaza in New York City, there’s a wall across the street. It was constructed when the UN building was constructed in 1948. And inscribed on that wall are these words from Isaiah, “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” It’s referred to as the “Isaiah Wall.” One thing I find interesting about that wall is that the inscription leaves out the part that it’s God who brings about this lasting peace.
Nonetheless, it’s poignant that this inscription is so closely located to the UN, and has been there since its construction. Think of the UN’s purpose. It was formed by the Allies in 1945 after WWII. 50 world governments formed this organization to ensure world peace. If you read its charter documents, the stated purpose of the organization is unambiguous. It says its purpose is “To maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace.” It’s a bold statement. It’s 50 countries working together for world peace. And it’s a bold attempt, which for all its successes, ultimately has not succeeded. We know the history of the world since 1945. Not to take away from any of the good the UN has accomplished, but it’s a reminder of how difficult it is for humans to accomplish lasting peace.
It’s interesting that so many people know this passage from Isaiah, but not near as many know that there is another passage the declares the exact opposite. Instead of swords being beat into plowshares, it’s plowshares that are beat into swords. Instead of spears into pruning hooks, hooks are made into spears. Joel 3:9-10 “Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare war, stir up the mighty men. Let all men of war draw near and let them come up. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears; let the weak say, “I am a warrior.” What’s this referring to?
It’s referring to the Day of the Lord, the very day we hope for during Advent. Later in vs. 14, it says, “Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the Day of the Lord is near, in the valley of decision.” The image here is a call to battle. Great armies used to battle in the valley. It’s as if God is saying to humanity, "I’ve done what is needed to show you the way. Yet, you refuse. So, bring your best. Let’s meet in the valley, the valley of decision, Let’s see where things really stand." It’s a metaphor for the Day of the Lord
This again is one of the ironies of Advent. We long for the Day of the Lord when the True light breaks into the world and dispels all darkness, forever. But that also means whatever was hiding in the darkness will be clearly seen, exposed for what it is. In order for God to make things right, God has to reveal in no uncertain terms just exactly what has gone wrong, so that all can see that God is just. This is the shadow side of Advent. The Light of Christ doesn’t just reveal God’s love and grace, it does do that, but it also reveals the truth about the human condition.
Go back to that image of a village preparing for the King’s return. I think of the story of Robin Hood. The backdrop to that story is that the king has gone off, away fighting a war. And while he’s gone, the kingdom goes to ruin. You have an evil sheriff who steals land, Robin and his merry men make it their task to take care of the poor, but not always in the most noble of ways. Well, what happens when the king returns? He puts the kingdom back in order. He deals with the evil Sherriff and grants mercy to Robin and his men for trespassing the laws of the kingdom. That story is an image of Advent, waiting for the King to return.
At any rate, three things are happening during Advent. One, we’re looking back to the birth of our Lord. Two, we’re looking forward to the kingdom. And finally, Advent reminds us that we are always in Advent. We spend four weeks in Advent to remind us that we are always in between these two definitive acts of God, the light that came once will come again. Right now, we’re in between. So, what do we do in this time in between?
Here’s one way to think about the Christian life. We’ve all had the experience of being in a dark house, walking outside into the bright light. It takes a while for our eyes to adjust to the light. That’s what the Christian life is like. Through Jesus Christ, we are being trained and prepared to see the brilliant Light and Glory of God. As Paul put it, we are being prepared to bear the weight of glory.
In Romans 13, when Paul talks about the coming of the kingdom, he does it in the context of his most concise statement on love. In vs.8 he says don’t owe anyone anything, except love. As if, love is the only debt we owe that can never be fully repaid. He says that love fulfills the law. Then he sums up the law in loving one’s neighbor as one’s self, just as Jesus did. But, immediately following that statement on love he says this, “Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near.”
That phrase, “the night is far gone, the day is near,” is an Advent phrase. The dawning light is about to dispel the darkness. The image is of day break, we get up early before the dawn and prepare to meet the coming day, for the coming light. How do we prepare for the light? Paul says, “Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” And then he says, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Advent is a time for Christians to prepare. But how do we prepare or the coming light, for the brilliant glory of God? How do we prepare for the presence of the God who is love? We put on Jesus Christ, we love as he loved, we walk as he walked. Our spiritual eyes are being trained, through Christ, to see the brilliance of God’s Light, so that by grace we are being transformed into his image from one degree of glory to another.
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