The
Christian faith emerged in the world as “a way” to live. It was a spirituality
before it was a world religion. In the life of Jesus, the early followers of
him, saw in his life and teaching the way of faith, hope, and love. In his
life, his followers found grace and healing. In his death, his followers found
hope. And in his resurrection, was found redemption.
The
calendar rules us. When the calendar says it is winter, than it is winter. When it says it is Monday, it is Monday.
When it proclaims it is June, school recesses. Whatever the calendar declares,
we must accept and abide. This is the inspiration of recognizing the Christian
calendar or as some call “the year of our lord.” Instead of months, days, and
years, we live our year through the life of our Lord. Every year we: “begin
again” with Advent, the conception of Jesus. Throughout the four weeks of
Advent, we hear again the dreams of the prophets who foretold the grace and
redemption of God through the birth of “a promised one.” This dream endured for
hundreds of years before the dream was finally realized when “Mary was found
with child.”
It is beautiful and redemptive to mark the
year by the life of the Christ. As we listen to the scriptures proclaimed in
their season, and we enter the different seasons of Jesus’ life, we realize, as
the years go by, the same cycle of conception to resurrection occurs in our own
lives, again and again. The story and life of Jesus is also our own story as we
experience new beginnings, growing joys and pains, suffering, dying, followed
by new beginnings again. The same grace and relationship we recognize between
Jesus and “The Father,” can be our own relationship with God.
So I encourage and welcome you to live the
seasons of the church in community at St. Andrew. The first Sunday in Advent is
December 3. May you be blessed as you choose to walk a different calendar then
January to December, choosing instead to walk the year of our Lord, from Advent
to Pentecost.
Fr. Richard
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