Changing of the Church Seasons

Tomorrow, November 30, is the First Sunday of Advent. From the Latin word adventus, meaning "arrival, approach, or attack,"* Advent is the first season of the church year. It begins four Sundays before Christmas and is set aside as a season to prepare for Christmas, Christ's first coming, and to remember that he will come again. The color for this season is purple, lavender or blue.

There is no stampede in our celebration of Advent. We take Advent one day at a time, one week at a time, marking each week with the lighting of a new candle, until at Christmas we light the middle candle - "the Christ candle."

Our scriptures during Advent can be fiery and controversial. This is a time when we meet the main characters in the early ministry of Jesus. Next week we meet John the Baptizer, that cave-man-type prophet who bridges the Old Testament and the New Testament. On the Fourth Sunday we meet Mary of Nazareth, the Mother of our Lord Jesus -- a woman of her time who was way ahead of her time.

Tomorrow's scriptures start at the beginning by talking about the end: Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; and Mark 13:24-37. This portion of Mark's Gospel is called "The Little Apocalypse." It describes what will happen at the second advent of Jesus Christ. Please don't miss verses 32-33: "But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come."

God willing, I'll be preaching about that tomorrow.


In peace,
Linda+
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Vicar, Holy Cross Church Episcopal
Billings, MT
406-208-7314
www.holycrosschurchbillings.org

*definition from the Pocket Oxford Latin Dictionary