Year B Christmas Morning 2023 Traditions 2023

Year A Christmas Day,  December 25, 2023

St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“Traditions 2023”

Collect: Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born [this day] of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

Old Testament Isaiah 52:7-10

How beautiful upon the mountains

are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, 

who brings good news,

who announces salvation, 

who says to Zion, "Your God reigns." 

Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices,

together they sing for joy; 

for in plain sight they see

the return of the Lord to Zion.

Break forth together into singing,

you ruins of Jerusalem; 

for the Lord has comforted his people,

he has redeemed Jerusalem.

The Lord has bared his holy arm

before the eyes of all the nations;

and all the ends of the earth shall see

the salvation of our God.

The New Testament Hebrews 1:1-4,(5-12)

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

For to which of the angels did God ever say,

"You are my Son;

today I have begotten you"? 

Or again,

"I will be his Father,

and he will be my Son"?

And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,

"Let all God's angels worship him."

Of the angels he says,

"He makes his angels winds,

and his servants flames of fire." 

But of the Son he says,

"Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,

and the righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. 

You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;

therefore God, your God, has anointed you

with the oil of gladness beyond your companions." 

And,

"In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth,

and the heavens are the work of your hands; 

they will perish, but you remain;

they will all wear out like clothing; 

like a cloak you will roll them up, and like clothing they will be changed. 

But you are the same,

and your years will never end."

The Gospel John 1:1-14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.

We all have them. We might not see them as Traditions, but we do things in the same way for comfort, for ease, for our brains to go on automatic pilot at times, so our souls can find those still, happy places we need. We also carve out space in our days or seasons to do things with intention. Christmas is filled with Traditions, and that means Christmas is filled with Intention.  

This year in the Holy Land there is terror and war. I have seen so many pictures of the Madonna and Child juxtaposed with a Palestinian mother and child. O Prince of Peace we need you still! Ukraine. Gaza. When will we ever hear Jesus’ message of Love and Grace and Peace?

In these troubled times, in days such as these, we need Traditions all the more to remind us what we hold most dear, to remind us what is at our core. It is days like these that make the traditions that we can have all the more special.

Stephanie and I were married on the 19th, so on our honeymoon we began to read the three Gospel accounts of Christmas from Luke, then Matthew, then John. And then we read the Gospel according to Dr. Seuss. The Grinch is Gospel, as there is a conversion when his heart “grew three sizes that day.” 

We got to read those together last night in the Rectory, the first time without our oldest who worshiped in the Cathedral in Liverpool last night, but will be home soon. Another Traditional Ritual is the eating of Chinese Food which comes from my birth family who always went to the Chinese restaurant after the Christmas Eve service. Wonton Soup might not scream “Happy Birthday, Jesus!” to you. But it does to me.

Traditions bring us comfort. Traditions warm our hearts. Traditions make us cozy inside. 

Another one of my traditions is to usually cry, whether I want to or not, when I hear, “I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day.” The song comes from a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. A simple song, a throwaway song almost until you hear the words with Longfellow’s thoughts in your mind. Two years after his wife died in a tragic accident, which also left him permanently scarred, Longfellow’s son enlisted in the Union Army in the Civil War. Receiving a grave wound, Charley, Longfellow’s son, was in hospital in Washington, D.C. Longfellow joined him there to help in his recovery. On Christmas Day, in the midst of personal tragedy and in his beloved country ripping itself apart, he penned these words.   

I heard the bells on Christmas Day 

Their old, familiar carols play, 

And wild and sweet,  the words repeat 

Of peace on earth, good-will to men! 

And thought how, as the day had come, 

The belfries of all Christendom 

Had rolled along the unbroken song 

Of peace on earth, good-will to men! 

Till ringing, singing on its way, 

The world revolved from night to day, 

A voice, a chime, a chant sublime 

Of peace on earth, good-will to men! 

And in despair I bowed my head; 

"There is no peace on earth," I said; 

“For hate is strong, and mocks the song 

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!" 

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: 

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; 

The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail, 

With peace on earth, good-will to men." 

And that poem became a song when we are tired and beaten by a world that ignores the message of Hope and Love we share at Christmas. One cannot be cynical and call oneself a disciple of Christ. It is as hypocritical as the bigot, the sexist, the blatant sinner. Cynicism is a sin of the heart. And this song reminds us of that, and that Hope conquers all, especially the hardness of our hearts. 

This year, I look to the Christ Child in hope, and in trust. I have to. This year we have had to remain hopeful when we hear names we may not have known before, but now these places are scars on our souls. Charles University in Prague, bomb threats to synagogues last weekend all across our country, Gaza City, Supernova Festival in the Negev, and so many, too many more.  

And in despair I hung my head. 

There is no peace on earth, I said, 

for hate is strong and mocks the song 

of peace on earth good will towards men.

Longfellows words haunt me as surely as Scrooge’s ghosts haunted him.

But it is Christmas, and at Christmas you tell the truth. I have to have Hope.

Speaking of Hope, one of my favorite Christmas traditions is Charlie Brown’s Christmas Special. From 1965, it was controversial even then. The climax of the special is a boy quoting a Bible story. That’s it. But it is everything!

I heard an interesting piece of trivia, and I have shared it the last few years. I am shocked I had never noticed it before. You see, Linus stops the production of the Christmas show rehearsal to tell Charlie Brown the real meaning of Christmas, and he quotes Luke 2 from the King James Version. 

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field , keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo , the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid . 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold , I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes , lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying , 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 

“That’s the meaning of Christmas, Charlie Brown.” Linus, being a cartoon character, is defined in simple ways. He is a believer, trusting or naive, depending on your point of view. He also is comforted by his security blanket and sucking his thumb. NOT your normal hero. He holds tight to his protection from his insecurities, and most of us cannot think of Linus without it. 

But if you go back to watch the video, and I did a couple of times to make sure, while he is quoting Luke, a most amazing thing happens. As soon as he says “Fear not!” his hand disappears from the screen and it returns without the blanket. The boy who is so timid, so fearful, goes center stage and let’s go of his fears, or at least his comfort from his fears. His “security” dropped at his feet. You see, the one who can stand with Linus, the one who can stand beside Longfellow in his pain and grief, the one who can stand beside me in my weakness and insecurities and you in yours has come into the world. “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”  

Maybe that is the greatest Christmas Tradition of them all, and it started with Mary unsure if she would be stoned for being pregnant and unwed, then Joseph wondering what people will think, then the Shepherds afraid of the heavenly host, and then all the way down to us. And we gather still under threat of civil strife, terrorism, wars and rumors of war, the collapse of our democracy, and so many other big, bad things, we hold onto hope and offer it to a suffering world. Immanuel, God-with-us, encourages us and is with us through all of it. That is Christmas, and always will be. The words of the angels come to us today, “Fear Not.” And that my friends, is a Tradition to keep, especially in 2024! Let it be our rallying cry. Let it be our shield, whatever this year may bring. “Fear Not!” Amen

Year B Christmas Eve 2023 800 years ago and tonight

Year B Christ Mass, 24 December 2023

St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“800 Years Ago, and Tonight”

Collect: O God, you have caused this holy night to shine with the brightness of the true Light: Grant that we, who have known the mystery of that Light on earth, may also enjoy him perfectly in heaven; where with you and the Holy Spirit he lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Luke 2:1-20

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see-- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Merry Christmas, friends. The Lord is born. The Lord is born, indeed.

In this season where the nights slowly begin to be shorter we come to celebrate the Light of God who came into the world. We come as those who wandered in the Darkness far too long. We so long for the light, we so need it.

Our headlines scream for a Prince of Peace. In what we call the Holy Land there is terror and war. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel.

And in the midst of our need, in a town of little importance in a minor province on the edge of an Empire devoted only to itself, God chose to enter history in the fullness of time and make his Way of Love clear and without debate as God’s Will. He did it through his only Son, full of Grace and Truth.

Tonight we embrace this idea which seems so long ago. Just a wee bit over 2,000 years ago, the Lord was born. The Lord was born, indeed! 

We stretch back to 2,000 years ago to the first Christmas. And we are given some of what happened. Shepherds came that night, and sometime in the next three years Wise Men appeared from the East. Maybe the family went to Egypt to run from Herod. It is all possible, and some of it debatable. 1,200 years after that, though, we have a bit more of the details.

800 years ago tonight we have a better understanding of what took place. Francis, a deacon in the Church of God, wanted those in the village near where he was to have an unforgettable experience celebrating the coming of the Christ child. The place was the mountain village of Grecio, overlooking a beautiful valley, the hillside covered in abundant vineyards so famous in that part of Italy. 

He had been praying and fasting only 60 miles from his hometown, Assisi. He had returned from the Crusades where he had been imprisoned in Egypt, not for waging war, but for preaching to the Caliph and those in his court. He had been imprisoned not for heresy, but he was so devout and sincere, the Caliph was actually tempted to accept this message of the Resurrected Lord. He jailed Francis for being too holy, too devout, too persuasive that there could be a better way.

Francis got an eye infection in the prison and suffered from it and its effects for the rest of his life. When he returned home his followers had abandoned most of his way of simplicity and possessing nothing. He decided to keep doing what they had been attracted to in the first place. Most of them had assumed he had gone on the Crusade to be martyred anyway. When he came home, they didn’t know what to do with this walking saint. So most had no problem with him going away to pray and recover. 

While in isolation at the hermitage to devote his full self to prayer. Deeply moved to make real the reality of Christmas for the villagers in Grecio, he wanted to make this story that we all know maybe a bit too well into something tangible.

He wanted to shift the story from words repeated to something incarnational. St. Bonaventure’s account is said to be the best of that night exactly 8 centuries back.

It happened in the third year before his death, that in order to excite the inhabitants of Grecio to commemorate the nativity of the Infant Jesus with great devotion, [St. Francis] determined to keep it with all possible solemnity; and lest he should be accused of lightness or novelty, he asked and obtained the permission of the sovereign Pontiff. Then he prepared a manger, and brought hay, and an ox and an ass to the place appointed. The brethren were summoned, the people ran together, the forest resounded with their voices, and that venerable night was made glorious by many and brilliant lights and sonorous psalms of praise. The man of God [St. Francis] stood before the manger, full of devotion and piety, bathed in tears and radiant with joy; the Holy Gospel was chanted by Francis, the Levite of Christ. Then he preached to the people around the nativity of the poor King; and being unable to utter His name for the tenderness of His love, He called Him the Babe of Bethlehem. 

So there with the manger, a live donkey and ox, this simple preacher invoked the Babe of Bethlehem. Chanting God’s word, invoking the incarnate Lord. This poor King. With passion and tears, he invited those devoted who gathered that night to see the Babe with the eyes of faith. He was so moved he could not even say the name of Jesus. This name above all names. This name which is a sermon unto itself. Jesus in the Greek. Joshua in the Hebrew. Both come from the root words which are God (or Yahweh) Saves. Knowing this, Francis choked up. He could not even utter that holy name above all names, and only spoke to this “Babe of Bethlehem.” 

St. Bonaventure goes on…

A certain valiant and veracious soldier, Master John of Grecio, who, for the love of Christ, had left the warfare of this world, and become a dear friend of this holy man, affirmed that he beheld an Infant marvelously beautiful, sleeping in the manger, Whom the blessed Father Francis embraced with both his arms, as if he would awake Him from sleep. 

There was no middle school Mary or unbearded Joseph in his father’s bathrobe. Animals and a feeding trough, and a man so passionately devoted to Jesus that people called him a living saint. And there, a man who had left his weapons of war behind to follow the Prince of Peace and his devoted servant Francis. Master John is given a gift. He sees a vision, the Babe of Bethlehem there in that trough, blinking and breathing, gurgling and cooing. Bound in strips of cloth, asleep on the hay. He sees Francis embracing him and loving him.

And just like with the Grinch, a miracle happened up on the mountain that Christmas Eve. A tradition of incarnation began, and miracles from it emerged. Bonaventure goes on to what continued from that simple first Nativity scene.

This vision of the devout soldier is credible, not only by reason of the sanctity of him that saw it, but by reason of the miracles which afterwards confirmed its truth. For example of Francis, if it be considered by the world, is doubtless sufficient to excite all hearts which are negligent in the faith of Christ; and the hay of that manger, being preserved by the people, miraculously cured all diseases of cattle, and many other pestilences; God thus in all things glorifying his servant, and witnessing to the great efficacy of his holy prayers by manifest prodigies and miracles.

800 years of re-enactments, 800 years of people making the there-and-then the here-and-now. 800 years of us doing our best to avoid “lightness and novelty” as Francis feared. When we do it in a few weeks, our children will step into the roles so that they can remember for their whole lives that they are in the story, too. So much more than them being awfully cute, which admittedly they are.

In preparing for tonight I found this summation and I will close with it tonight. Father William Saunders wrote this…

“Although the story is long old, the message is clear for us. Our own Nativity scenes which rest under our Christmas trees are a visible reminder of that night when our Savior was born. May we never forget to see in our hearts the little Babe of Bethlehem, who came to save us from sin. We must never forget that the wood of the manger that held Him so securely would one day give way to the wood of the cross. May we too embrace Him with all of our love as did St. Francis.”

For that is what we do in our yearly remembrances. 

We make a space for Jesus. 

We use all that we have to see him real in our lives. 

Then we embrace him with all that we are and with all that we have. 

And that is how we make our Christmas real. Amen

Year B Advent 2 2023 Preparedness

Year B Advent 2, 10 December 2023

St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“Preparedness”

Collect: Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. 

2 Peter 3:8-15a

Do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.

Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.

Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation.

Mark 1:1-8

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,

“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,

who will prepare your way;

the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight,’”

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

A man had a dream that he was in heaven, and even more, he was in the presence of the Lord. In flabbergasted awe and silent before the grandeur, the man waited for the Lord to speak. The Lord looked down with love and compassion, and welcomed the humbled man and asked if he had any questions. The man not knowing where to start said that, in fact, he did have something he was always curious about. “Lord, Scripture teaches that time and even money have no meaning to you.” The Lord smiled, and responded, “Yes, my son, that is true. A million years is like a second to me, and a second is like a million years.” The man nodded, pretending like could even comprehend this. “And money, Lord?” The Lord responded, “The same. A billion dollars is like a penny, and vice versa.” The man nervously asked the Lord, “Lord, if that is the case, may I have one of your pennies?” The Lord smiled, and said “Of course, my son… in a second.”

I trust you recognized part of today’s readings being the foundation of that joke. And despite what some Prosperity Theology friends may say, Jesus did not come for us to be “winners” or to get what we good we deserve (and notice they always assume it is the best that they deserve). We are put on a path to free ourselves of the things that get in our way of following Christ and walking on his path. 

The longer I live the more I find it is about letting go and finding that fewer and fewer things are necessities. When I lean on less it is more about relying on God and God’s rule in my life. Less is more, I can honestly say. This goes against the rules our society teaches us to play by, where he who dies with the most toys wins. 

John was in the Wilderness, doing a baptism of Repentance. A baptism confessing sin and letting go of those distractions in our lives, those sins that cling so closely.

Last week we talked about how Advent is about Jesus’ birth as well as his return. The there-and-then and the perhaps here-and-now, and being ready. This week we continue in the HOW? of that. How do we prepare ourselves? How do we get ready for Christ to come back?

In the II Peter reading it talks about the end of time:

…the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed. Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire?

It is a pretty simple argument, all these possessions we hoard beyond measure only serve to possess us. If everything will come to naught, then why bother with it. All that you have is your soul. And even then, you don’t have your soul. You are your soul. You, that core essence, your seat of decisions, that thing that is you, is all there is. And when Jesus comes, we need to have the “Me that is You” in the best shape it can be. As II Peter puts it,

Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation.

Without spot or blemish. And as we talked about last week, that Jesus has not come in 2,000 years is a God-send, not a problem. God’s patience is our salvation. God wants to give us the time that we need. But our culling of the detritus that has piled up in our lives and even worse in our souls needs to begin today.

John came to do that, calling for people to change their way. To make a U-turn in the way that they were going. The best time to change our direction is as soon as we know we are going the wrong way.

Thinking about changing our direction will not do. Forming a planning committee to come up with a strategic plan or a mission statement will not either. When we are going the wrong way we make a U-Turn as fast as we can.

Waiting on Jesus has been hard. Two-thousand-years is a long time. Empires have come and gone. Languages, nations, religions, too, have formed, conquered, and disappeared in the time we have been waiting on Jesus. It would be easy to think that we can just keep on keeping on, give polite lip service in the Creeds, “Jesus will come again,” and then go on about our business. But in all things, there comes a time when the time is up.

My mother was raised by her grandmother. When I was young, we would always go and visit her.  Thanksgiving, Christmas, and a week or more every summer, we would traipse down to Burlington, North Carolina and visit the family matriarch.  Having raised my mother she was more of a grandmother to me than a great-grandmother, and some of my favorite memories are of her.  She was a caring and compassionate soul. She always reminded me to mind my mother. She taught me how to roll out and make apple hand pies using her bottle as a rolling pin, a bottle that predated the Civil War. She taught me that okra was one of the greatest gifts of God, boiled, stewed, and best of all, fried. When I would get a cut or a scratch outside, I would come in and seek attention more than a band-aid.  She would love on me and she had a phrase, “Don’t you worry.  It will be better before you get married.” All that time, marriage was so far away to be non-existent.

That phrase stayed with me through my teenage years, and it just stuck in my mind, and it would come out when I got a nick or cut. When I cut myself shaving on my wedding day, I was about to say it out loud, “It’ll be better before your wedding day!” It was then that it struck me that it would not.  It would not be better on my wedding day. It was my wedding day! The thing so far away as to be non-existent was imminent. The waiting was over.  The future, what always had seemed so far away, was now.

And one day, maybe in your lifetime, Jesus could come back. And you will probably think, “We always said that it could happen.” We will see; won’t we? But the more important question remains, will we be ready?

As we “Prepare the ways of the Lord, and make his paths straight,” we are not talking about a quick clean-up, a tidying because the relatives are coming over.  We are also not talking about setting up Potemkin villages, to trick the visiting monarch, some Disney facade that gives a feel and not a reality.  What we are speaking of is wholesale change.

In our Preparation for the Lord, we are flattening mountains and leveling valleys.  Or so encourages Isaiah and John.  As John waited for Christ to come, and we are waiting for Christ to come again, are we immersed in the Holy Spirit, steeped with God in our lives?

When we look at who we should be in our Preparation, we need a metaphor shift in our brains.  We are not preparing for an event, but for a new way of being.  When the Lord comes, everything is changed.  We are changed.  That is why a tidying will not do.

We are not looking at waiters setting up for an evening meal.  Those are not the preparations we are calling for.  Rather, think of people who have to prepare for any and every eventuality.  

Think of ER doctors who never know what is going to walk through their doors.

Think Firemen and Soldiers.  They need to train and practice.  They do drills and training exercises.  They are always in a state of readiness, or they cannot be who they are supposed to be.  Firemen and Soldiers do not get to use phrases like, “When I get around to it.”  

Trumpet players and Singers, they never know what music they will get handed.  They practice and take care of their instruments.  I remember when I played tuba in college,  my professor talked about his daily routine.  He played scales for an hour a day.  An hour a day.  He was someone who could do these scales in his sleep.  After so many years, he could probably play these scales in a coma.  I found it amazing that something I took for granted, was something that he took as assumed. I was the player I was, because a couple of times a week I would warm up with scales for a few minutes. He was the player that he was because he started his day with an hour of scales before he began to practice. He was the master, and I was the student. He still is the Master, and probably still does an hour of scales a day.

In our Preparation this Advent, think on who you are.  Who do you want to be?  How do you practice your faith?  How do you live out what you believe?

There are many places where we could start.  But, we will stay with our theme for the day.  If Jesus were showing up here today, how would you be?  What would you do?  Where would you go?  How would you act?  What would you say to your children?  How would you spend your day?

If Jesus were coming back in, say, 15 days, on December 25, what would you do differently between now and then?

If he were coming back in 100 years, what would St. James the Less do to prepare the way of the Lord?  

How about this, why don’t we live today like he is coming back tomorrow, and decide that together we will try to make Ashland, Hanover County, and metropolitan Richmond the way we would want him to find it in 100 years.  I think between those two ideas, our preparations would be grand.  Amen.