Advent 2 (Romans 15:4-13)  12/08/2013

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This week has been a busy and joyful week at St. John’s! There are many varieties of busy weeks, but this past week would rival any beehive at the height of the honey season. The work of the Christmas Festival was quite amazing and the efforts of Annabel and everyone who worked in the many areas of the Festival was a wonderful blessing. Today marks the ingathering of our gift bags in support of our participation with the VNA Christmas Sharing program. And for the crescendo of the week, we will celebrate an Advent Procession of Lessons and Carols this evening! As wonderful as the food, crafts and other items of the Christmas Festival were; as important as our shopping for the Christmas Sharing program was; as important as the music of the Advent Lessons and Carols will be; the most important aspect of all of this, the most grace-filled and sacramental aspect of this incredibly busy week was and is the spirit of generosity toward others and the gathering of the Christian community, in God’s name, for the nourishment of our lives together. The season of Advent brings many messages for us to consider, but the gathering together as a community of faith in the presence of God is among the most powerful of all the Advent lessons…the sacred gathering together of God’s children as we anxiously await the coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

On this Second Sunday of Advent we hear Paul’s words of encouragement to the community in Rome. He wrote, “May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Jesus Christ, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:5-6) Paul was writing to a busy community of Christians; a community of Christians that had only recently returned to Rome after a brief period of expulsion from that city by the Roman Emperor. As they gathered back in Rome after their time away, I imagine they were busy with their lives, putting things back together and worrying about their many daily concerns…not unlike we can be in our busy lives. And who isn’t even busier during this holiday season? Our hectic schedules and busy lives can easily overtake our every waking moment, absorbing us in the daily details of life. But Advent asks us to stop and become aware of where we are and who is in our midst, leaving the details of the day behind, if even for just a moment. Paul continued in his letter, may you “welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” (Romans 15:7) Advent invites us to slow down a bit and open our eyes and see where we are and who is in our midst, because only in this awareness may we discover that Christ has arrived in the presence of the one before us. And only when we allow ourselves to slow down and be truly present may we see with open hearts and minds that the presence of Christ may arrive in ways and means that we had not expected, had never imagined for a moment…but there in our midst is the grace of God for us to share.

Seeing God’s grace among us is not always an easy thing to do; sharing God’s grace can often be just as challenging as finding that grace in the first place. This past Thursday, the world lost a man who was able to find the courage and faith to persevere in challenging times, a man who was able to find steadfast and continuing hope in spite of great difficulty, including spending nearly 30 years in prison: Nelson Mandela, the first freely elected President of South Africa. His life was a challenging life, the culture of South Africa was a challenging culture…and largely remains challenging today for many reasons. But Nelson Mandela will be remembered as a man of great patience, a man who sought peace and unity in times when it may have seemed easier to seek advantage and partisan favor. As I heard the news of Nelson Mandela’s death this past Thursday evening, the words of Paul’s letter to the Romans seemed to echo in my ears, “May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Jesus Christ, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:5-6) Mandela’s life and legacy seems to vividly represent how challenging it can be to seek a life of harmony with one another; his presence in South Africa and throughout the world was a presence of peace, and his death brings a special sorrow as we mourn the loss of one among us who was able to spread God’s grace to those in great need. But as we remember the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela and his gift of sharing God’s peace and love, we remember also that this season of Advent asks the same of us, this season of Advent is a time for us to discover the grace and love of Jesus Christ and a time to spread that love and grace to others. On this Second Sunday of Advent, let us pray for the life of Nelson Mandela and all the peace-makers of this world that spread the grace of God so that we may live in harmony with one another; and for ourselves, let us pray for the courage to seek Christ in newfound ways and that we may find the peace and presence of Christ in this holy season of Advent. AMEN.