The "Coming" of Advent

I was originally going to do a four-part series on Advent this year, beginning on December 1st. Then other things got in the way. Our rector, Father Malm, says "We make plans, and God laughs." This is one of those times I gave him a good laugh. But I like the concept of God laughing, so I don't feel so bad about it.

Advent began this year on Sunday, December 1, the fourth Sunday before Christmas. The word itself is Anglicized from the Latin word adventus meaning "coming", and the Latin word is a translation of the Greek parousia, commonly used in reference to the second coming of Christ. Advent is the beginning of our liturgical year and also a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ birth.

The theme of readings and teachings during Advent is to prepare for the second coming while commemorating the first coming of Christ at Christmas. From the 4th century through the Middle Ages, the Advent season was kept as a period of fasting as strict as that of Lent. In some localities it began right after November 11, the feast day of St. Martin of Tours. In some countries this feast was a time of frolic and heavy eating – similar to Mardi Gras -- since the 40-day fast began the next day. In the Anglican and Lutheran churches the fasting rule was later relaxed, with the Roman Catholic Church doing likewise later,but Advent was still kept as a season of penitence. The Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches still hold the tradition of fasting for 40 days before the Nativity Feast.

In many countries, Advent has been marked by interesting popular observances, some of which still survive. In England, especially in the northern counties, there was a custom (now extinct) for poor women to carry around the "Advent images", two dolls dressed to represent Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary. A halfpenny coin was expected from every one to whom these were exhibited, and bad luck was thought to menace the household not visited by the doll-bearers before Christmas Eve. In Normandy, farmers employed children to run through the fields and orchards armed with torches, setting fire to bundles of straw and driving out vermin that would damage the crops. In Rome, the Calabrian pifferari (bagpipe players) entered the city during the last days of Advent to play before the shrines of Mary, because Italian folklore stated that the shepherds played these pipes when they came to the manger at Bethlehem to pay homage to the infant Jesus.

The origins of the Advent calendar come from German Lutherans, who would count down the first 24 days of December physically. This might be as simple as drawing a chalk line on the door each day, beginning on December 1. Some families had more elaborate means of marking the days, such as lighting a new candle or hanging a little religious picture on the wall each day (these pictures became part of some Advent calendars). The candles might also be placed on a structure which was called an "Advent clock" and later “Advent wreath.” In Scandinavia there is a more recent tradition of having a so-called julekalender in the form of a television or radio show, starting on the first of December and ending on Christmas Eve.

Being Thankful

I recently read an article that addressed why some people find the Christmas season to be something less than a time of untrammeled delight. Possible reasons included seasonal affective disorder or SAD (due to lack of sunlight); exhaustion from shopping, wrapping, mailing, cleaning, preparing and/or traveling; and unrealistic expectations of a Currier and Ives type of holiday where everything is beautiful and everyone gets along with everyone else.

I haven't read anything about people who don't care much for Thanksgiving, but I suspect that some of the same reasons apply ... except for the shopping, wrapping and mailing. And then there's another aspect of it -- the laser-like focus on being thankful. If you're or sick, or troubled, or stressed, or out of work, or lonely, or bereaved, it can be a real challenge to find things to be thankful for, because all you can think about is what you don't have -- good health, a clear mind, a calm body, a decent job, or someone to love who loves you back. All you want to do is crawl under the covers and wait for it to be over.

I recently read a poem in a local magazine that gave me the idea for this blog. Since it was marked "Author Unknown" I can't give it proper attribution, but I'd like to share it.

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.

If you did, what would there be to look forward to?

Be thankful when you don't know something, 

For it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.

During those times you grow.

Be thankful for your limitations,

Because they give you opportunities for improvement.

Be thankful for each new challenge,

Because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes.

They will teach you valuable lessons.

Be thankful when you're tired and weary,

Because it means you've accomplished something.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things.

A life of fulfillment comes to those who can be thankful for setbacks.

Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.

Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.

If you find something in this poem that speaks to you, I will be thankful for that. On the other hand, if you think it sounds way too much like the saying "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade," I will understand that too. I used to be a lemonade-kind-of-person when I was younger, and my husband would periodically tease me about coming down from my cloud. I'm older now, there have been bumps in the road, and sometimes it's hard to remember what the lemonade days felt like. But now and then I still have one and when I do, I try to remember to be thankful.

The Book of the Web

A good friend and former colleague recently shared with me a copy of an ancient text that didn't make it into the Bible ... not even the Apocrypha. Although I cannot vouch for its authenticity, nor do I know who may have written it, I thought that it was important that it's story should not be lost.

In ancient Israel , it came to pass that a trader by the name of Abraham Com did take unto himself a young wife by the name of Dorothy, whom Abraham fondly called Dot. And Dot Com was a comely woman, large of frame, broad of shoulder and long of leg. Indeed, she was often called Amazon Dot Com by others. 

And Dot said unto Abraham, her husband, "Why dost thou travel so far from town to town with thy goods when thou canst trade without ever leaving thy tent?" And Abraham did look at her as though she were several saddle bags short of a camel load, but simply said, "How could that be?" And Dot replied, "I will place drums in all the towns, and drums between the towns, to send messages saying what you have for sale, and they will reply telling you who hath the best price. It will be as a spider's web, each strand linked to each other strand, so that all strands are connected. When an agreement on price has been made, you can deliver the goods by partnering with your cousin Uriah, who has a successful pony stable" (UPS).

Abraham thought long and decided he would let Dot have her way with the drums, for he loved her greatly and wished her to be happy. So the drums were put in place, and idle young persons were employed to use the drums, and the new enterprise was an immediate success. Abraham sold all the goods he had at top price without ever having to leave his tent. To prevent neighboring peoples from overhearing what the drums were saying, and thereby competing with her husband, Dot devised a system that only she and the drummers knew. It became known as Must Send Drum Over Sound (MSDOS), and she also developed a language to transmit ideas and pictures, Hebrew To The People (HTTP). And the young persons did take to Dot Com's new inventions as doth the greedy horsefly take to camel dung. They were called Nomadic Ecclesiastical Rich Dominican Sybarites, or NERDS. 

And lo, the land was so feverish with joy at the new riches and the deafening sound of drums that no one noticed that the real riches were going to the enterprising drum fabricator, William of Gates, who bought off every drum maker in the land. Indeed, he did insist on drums to be made that would work only with his own drum heads and drum sticks. And Dot did say, "Oh, Abraham, what we have started is being taken over by others." And Abraham looked out over the Bay of Ezekiel , or eBay as it came to be known. He said, "We need a name that reflects what we are." And Dot replied, "Let us call yourselves Young Ambitious Hebrew Owner Operators." "I agree, but YAHOO is shorter and easier to remember," said Abraham. And because it was Dot's idea, they named it YAHOO Dot Com. 

Another of Abraham's cousins, Joshua, being the young Gregarious Energetic Educated Kid (GEEK) that he was, soon started using Dot's drums to locate things around the countryside. It soon became known as God's Own Official Guide to Locating Everything (GOOGLE). 

And that is how it all began. And God looked upon it and saw that it was good.

All Saints Day and The Calendar of Saints

Most everyone (including my husband and I) are ready (or preparing) for tonight's Halloween activities. We bought the pumpkin, I drew the design, and Brad just finished the carving. The candy is sitting in a basket in the kitchen, awaiting the first trick-or-treaters. It's a holiday I've always loved.

Tomorrow is another holiday I love -- All Saints' Day. Although we will "transfer" it and celebrate it at Grace Church on Sunday, November 3rd, tomorrow is the "real thing." On this day we celebrate all of the saints who have gone before. And they all deserve it!

The veneration of saints in the Episcopal Church began with the early Church. Our use of the term "saint" differs from Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions in that we don’t canonize individuals and we don’t

generally invoke saints as intercessors in prayer. Instead, we believe that all baptized Christians are saints of God and have the potential to be examples of faith to others. We pray for each other and for all Christians as members of the Communion of Saints, including both the living and the dead, since all are considered to be in the hands of God. The first English Book of Common Prayer (BCP) retained a small number of feasts celebrated by the Roman Catholic church, but included no post-Biblical saints. The 1662 BCP, used by Anglicans living in the American colonies, listed the names of 67 saints in its Calendar. The first American BCP (1789) listed no minor Holy Days (lesser feasts) in its Calendar, and that didn’t change in either the 1892 or 1928 BCPs.

Things changed as a result of the General Convention of 1964, when more than 100 new saints’ days were added and the book Lesser Feasts and Fasts – an official resource of the Episcopal Church -- was first published. Since then, the number of saints in the Calendar has gradually increased, and Lesser Feasts and Fasts was updated on the average of every three years. The 2003 General Convention called for a significant revision of Lesser Feasts and Fasts that, among other things, would reflect cultural diversity, our ecumenical partners and local customs. This resulted in the development of Holy Women, Holy Men: Celebrating the Saints, which was approved for use in 2009 and added over 100 new saints. One example is G. A. Studdert Kennedy (March 8), a priest who served as chaplain to soldiers on the Western Front during World War I, published poems based on his experience as a war chaplain, was a powerful influence on the pacifist cause, and inspired Desmond Tutu.

In most cases, two generations or 50 years from a person’s death must elapse before that person can be added to the Calendar. If you want to learn more about the saints themselves, and the process by which the Episcopal church adds individuals to the Calendar of Saints, pick up a copy of Holy Women, Holy Men. It’s also available online in a couple of different places.

Our saints weren’t models of perfection. They were flesh-and-blood men and women from various

denominations and traditions, whose lives were shaped by God and who serve as examples of Christian faith and works. I love the hymn we often sing on All Saints' Day, "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God" (Hymn 293). I especially love these words:

"You can meet them in school, or in lanes, or at sea,

In Church, or in trains, or in shops, or at tea,

For the saints of God are just folks like me,

And I mean to be one too."

In many cases our saints faced serious challenges, because they often held beliefs and positions that made them unpopular during the time they lived. I'm sure they faltered at times, and had to pray for strength. But, as Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Why no posts lately?

I've been a bad blogger -- it's more than a month since I've written anything here. First I fractured a bone in my right foot. Then we were getting ready for a trip to France (canal barge in Alsace, then 4 days in Paris). Then when I returned I had a horrible pain in my right neck and shoulder that got worse when I used the computer. Having had disc replacement surgery 3 years ago, my worry-meter was off the scale. Fortunately I was diagnosed with a bad muscle strain from wearing a surgical boot and lugging a suitcase around France. All is now recovering, thank God.

Here are a few shots of our trip, including me in my boot. It was lovely.

Remembering 9-11 ... Differently

I wake up this morning thinking about this day, twelve years ago. The tragedy, the sadness, and then the almost-immediate backlash in this country against all Muslims. I drink my first cup of morning coffee and look at Facebook postings. Most of my friends post some kind of memorian to those who died, those who still mourn, and those who came to the rescue of others. I do the same. And yet a few of my friends post unpleasant comments about the "Million Muslim March" planned today in Washington, DC. Yes, they are my friends, and some of my family, although we don't share certain opinions.

I think back to last Sunday's Holy Eucharist, its readings and hymns. Some seem so well-positioned for my thoughts this week, like Hymn 603.

"When Christ was lifted from the earth,
his arms stretched out above
through every culture, every birth,
to draw an answering love.

Still east and west his love extends
and always, near or far,
he calls and claims us as his friends
and loves us as we are.

Where generation, class, or race
divide us to our shame,
he sees and labels but a face,
a person, and a name.

Thus freely loved, though fully known,
may I in Christ be free
to welcome and accept his own
as Christ accepted me."

He "loves us as we are." Even if we don't always love each other. Even if we don't worship Him. Even if we can't see beyond the skin color and the clothing and the politics and the religion and the other things that make people different. And wonderful.

The first lesson from the Book of Jeremiah (18:1-11) compares God to a potter. "Just like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.  At one moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it,  but if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will change my mind about the disaster that I intended to bring on it.  And at another moment I may declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, but if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will change my mind about the good that I had intended to do to it." God is telling us that any nation, any people, can have hope. If they do what is right, even after doing what was wrong, they will be forgiven and can start anew. This applies to others, and it also applies to us. Are we without guilt?

The second lesson, from the Letter of Paul to Philemon (1:17-18), Paul writes about a former slave, Onesimus. "So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me.  If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account." It's all about forgiveness.

 

Finally, in our Postcommunion Prayer we say, "We humbly beseech thee, O heavenly Father, so to assist us with thy grace, that we may continue in that holy fellowship, and do all such good works as thou hast prepared for us to walk in."

 

On this day, I remember those who died, those who still mourn, and those who came to the rescue of others. But I also remember, and pray for, all those who have suffered innocently because we are not by nature a forgiving people. And I hope that, "Thus freely loved, though fully known, may I in Christ be free to welcome and accept his own as Christ accepted me."

An Ancient Prayer -- Still Good

One of the places we visited during this summer's walking tour of Cornwall was Saint Wyllow Church in the parish of Lanteglos, which includes the ancient villages of Polruan, Bodinnick, Mixtow, Pont and Lanteglos Highway. Border by the River Fowey (pronounced "Foy") to the east and the Atlantic to the south, it's been settled as far back as the Bronze Age. The name "Lanteglos" is from the old Cornish Nant Eglos, which means "church valley." Many of the surrounding farms date back to the Doomsday records of 1086. Frankly, I don't think that much has changed since then.

The story goes that Saint Wyllow, a Christian hermit, was living nearby in Pont around 596.  Legend has it that he was killed by a relative and beheaded, but he got up and brought his own head to the current location, thus deciding where the church should be built. The building dates mostly from the late fourteenth century.  The tower is 70 feet tall, in four stages and stands on four piers.  The belfry has six bells (described as ‘silver tongued’ by Sir Arthur Quiller Couch).

It's a quiet and peaceful place. The church is old and musty and the gravestones are lichen-covered. But I could tell that it was still a vibrant parish because in the back corner of the nave was a children's corner full of scattered toys and crayons. And there was a sticky-note posted on the bulletin board dated from the previous day that said, "Dear Claudia, I'll be back on Tuesday evening to pick up the leftover dishes. Love, Susan."

As I left, I picked up a xerox copy of something entitled "An Ancient Prayer."

Give me a good digestion, Lord,

And also something to digest.

Give me a healthy body, Lord,

With sense to keep it at its best.

Give me a healthy mind, O Lord,

To keep the good and pure in sight,

Which seeing wrong is not appalled,

But finds a way to set it right.

Give me a mind that is not bored,

That does not whimper, whine or sigh.

Don't let me worry overmuch 

About that fussy thing called "I."

Give me a sense of humor, Lord,

Give me the grace to see a joke,

To get some happiness from life

And pass it on to other folk.

It seems to me that pretty much everything that's important is covered in this prayer, and when I read it now I wonder who wrote it, and how long ago. I think about the centuries of Cornish people who have worshipped in this place, and those who worship here still. I say a prayer for them, and remember these words written by Saint Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:10: "According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it.

Now that I've re-discovered this piece of paper, in the pile of brochures and other papers from that trip, I think I'll begin using it on a daily basis. At least for a while.