First Sunday of Advent
Intro: As we begin a new year in the Church's life, we hear a clarion call: to stay awake, be ready for everything which life may throw at us, and carry God's message of justice and peace to all.
Readings: Isaiah plants his vision of the future, where weapons are destroyed and all people behave in accordance with the Law.
Paul issues a wake-up call to the Roman community: be ready, live decent lives wisely and responsibly and remain focused on the teachings of the Gospel, for salvation is already near.
Isaiah 2: 1 -5;
Romans 13: 11 - 14;
Matthew 24: 37 -44;
"Be prepared" has long been the motto of the scout and guide movement, and there's a great sense of immediacy in the three readings for this first Sunday of Advent.
Writing to the Romans, Paul is quite clear: he tells them now is the time to wake up; now is the time to be alert; now is the time to be active, because we're being called to live in the light rather than skulk around in the dark. Anything in our lives which we would rather keep as a guilty secret has to be disposed of and left behind. Our "staying awake," our preparation for the coming of the Messiah, means living decent lives without wrangling or jealousy.
Then, in today's Gospel we're told to be prepared, because, like it or not, we're going to meet the Son of Man perhaps when we least expect. At this time of year, we
might have expected the readings to concentrate on the coming of the Son of Man, the Messiah. Instead, they look at the more apocalyptic vision of what will happen at the end of time.
Isaiah's vision is one in which the Lord gathers all nations together on His holy mountain to which they come of their own accord. Matthew's vision, on the
other hand, is one of past catastrophe (Noah's flood) and present threat (burglary), highlighting the nature of this second coming as something both threatening and unknown.
Perhaps as part of our own preparation for Advent, we might reflect on the hidden areas of our lives, reflecting on the things in our lives which have made us less perfect. That can be painful, as it brings to mind the things we have done - or have had done to us - damaging our humanity. In order to find peace and healing, it's important to see and realise that there is One Who cares for us, and loves us, no matter what we've done. All He asks of us is to accept His help, and cooperate with His transforming love.
That doesn't mean that we'll be healed overnight, because the healing of wounds and emotions takes time, and that healing may never be complete in this life. But at the deepest level of our being, the coming of Jesus into this world will enable us to live in hope that we'll eventually be healed and transformed through His love and that of our families and friends.
So let's think positive: could we give a little more time every day to prayer; work for justice and peace in the areas of our own lives at home, at school, at work; really appreciate the love of our own families and friends.
Advent is a time for being alert and trying to make progress in fulfilling the kind of life which God has created us to live by paying attention to the many ways in which God is present and active in our own lives, and the lives of those round about us.
Intercessions
As we begin the Advent season of hope and expectation, we bring all our own needs, together with those of our world, to God, our ever-loving Father:-
1. For the Church. May She always be seen as a true sign of God's will to heal wounded humanity in our world - Lord, hear us.
2. For our world and our country. May peace triumph over war, goodness over evil and honesty over corruption - Lord, hear us.
3. For our young people at school, college or university. Help them to use both their innocence and their integrity to find out what You are calling them to do - Lord, hear us.
4. On this first day of Advent, we pray for ourselves and our families. May the way we wait with expectation and hope for the return of the Son of Man remind us of His presence among us, so that it may be a time of renewal and blessing. Deepen our faith through our acts of service and love for You and for those around us - Lord, hear us.
5. Let us pray for those who are grieving for relatives or friends who have been taken away by death: Michael Burns, Cathie McManus, Aileen Rusk, Margaret McLachlan, Susan Tait, Julie Nicholson; and for those who died about this time in past years: Maurice McOmish, Mary & John Primrose, Charlie & Anne McKay, May their faith bring them strength and consolation. - Lord, hear us.
Lord, You patience with us is never-ending. Help us to be equally patient with others and with You, as we await Your answer to these prayers of ours.