Advent: A Time of Beginning

At this time of year we are busily closing out our affairs for the year and anticipating the joyful festivities of Christmas.

But in the Christian tradition, the Advent season is a time of beginning. It begins with hope as we anticipate the coming of the Savior, incarnate in our lives and in our world. It is a time of joy as we recognize the blessings that surround us and the promise of the New Year that is about to unfold.

For some of us, those blessings may seem masked from view by the painful reality of personal or economic loss. There is "a lot of that going around" – yet for the first time in a long time, a lot of people out there are choosing to identify themselves with those folks, and standing up for people in need.

The last three months have seen people all over the country – and internationally – crying out against social and economic inequality, unemployment, and other societal ills. The Occupy movement resonates with many United Methodists, invested as we are in the concept of social justice.

But what I believe resonates even more strongly with us are the concepts of compassion, reconciliation, and healing. Recently one of our campus pastors demonstrated that commitment when she returned to campus to escort the chancellor past student protesters, shortly after an ugly scene in which campus police pepper-sprayed demonstrating students.

The following day, the Rev. Kristin Stoneking wrote the following in her blog: "Why did I walk the Chancellor to her car? Because I believe in the humanity of all persons. Because I believe that people should be assisted when they are afraid. Because I believe that in showing compassion we embrace a nonviolent way of life that emanates to those whom we refuse to see as enemies and in turn leads to the change that we all seek."

Compassion, reconciliation, and healing. The message brought by angels to the 99 percent, in the days of Caesar Augustus, pointing shepherds to a babe in a manger.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we pray for peace on earth and are hopefully seeking ways to bring it about. At the same time, we recognize that while we must live and work amid the gritty problems of the here and now, we look with anticipation for the dawning of God's reign on this earth.

May the season be a time of blessing for all of us. May we enter a new year with new energy and new commitment to be the people God has called us to be, and to see the things that we have as an opportunity to be – and to do – what is important to God.

By: Warner H. Brown, Jr. On 12/20/2011

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