An Advent Reflection for the Present Age
By Rev. Dr. Missiouri L McPhee, 11th Episcopal District
Advent comes from the Latin word, “adventus,” which is translated as “coming.” It refers not only to the coming of Christ in human flesh at Christmas but also to the coming of Christ in our lives through grace, the sacrament of the Eucharist, as well as Christ’s Second Coming. It is a time set aside by the church for spiritual preparation in anticipation of Christ’s return.
Advent marks the beginning of the Church’s liturgical calendar and is recognized by many mainstream denominations. It is typically observed during the four Sundays preceding Christmas with each Sunday focusing on the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love, respectively. This year, Advent begins on November 29, 2020, and ends on December 20, 2020.
Advent is a revolutionary time of spiritual preparation for God’s Kin-dom here on earth. As such, our approach to Advent is informed by our understanding that the world is not as it should be nor as it will be. The revolutionary aspects of Advent, i.e., hope, peace, joy, and love, are juxtaposed to our current reality. As nations, states, cities, counties, and municipalities initiated lockdowns, as the global economy began a downward spiral, and as the healthcare system burst at the seams laying bare its disparities, hope seemed lost in the chaos of madness and despair. Nevertheless, we have the audacity to wait for hope. While we wait, we watch. While we wait, we worship. While we wait, we witness.
Then the world bore witness for eight minutes and 46 seconds as George Floyd’s life was casually and cavalierly snuffed out by Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis, Minneapolis police officer, while other officers turned a blind eye and civilians pled for Mr. Floyd’s life. The continuous state-sanctioned extrajudicial murders of black and brown bodies renewed fears of old, giving rise to the rebirth of #BlackLivesMatter. Sustained protests erupted throughout the land. The pandemic and the protests gave way to the shattering of very precarious peace. We remain resolute to wait for the return of everlasting peace. While we wait, we watch. While we wait, we worship. While we wait, we witness.
For more than four years, we have been fed a daily diet of untruths, conspiracy theories, vitriolic political rhetoric, and ineptitude in government leading to the normalizing of the heretofore unthinkable and unacceptable and the intentional dividing of America along racial, religious, and political fault lines.
While we wept through the long, dark night of Trumpism, we were met with joy and jubilation at the news that morning had come with the election of Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. and Kamala Devi Harris. It is now our great hope that their administration will serve as the catalyst to perfect and unite our imperfect union. That joy, however, was soon tempered by sorrow with the knowledge that the pandemic is raging once again and is tempered by sorrow because the customary peaceful transfer of power is fraught with obstruction and tension. It is tempered by sorrow with the realization that the current occupant of the White House has abdicated his presidential responsibilities, opting instead to figuratively lay waste the symbols of American democracy on his way out. We remain prayerful in our waiting for the return of unspeakable joy. While we wait, we watch. While we wait, we worship. While we wait, we witness.
The roots of hate are flourishing in the fertile soil of racism, misogyny, and xenophobia in the USA. The enemy has come in to divide us, erecting barriers of suspicion and impeding lives lived in justice, dignity, equality, and peace. We are persuaded that love is the way as our internal compass which protects and guides but it has been irreparably damaged by the upheavals of this unprecedented era. We remain steadfast in waiting for the return of love. We remain waiting, watching, worshiping, and witnessing in anticipation of God’s fulfilled promise of renewal of all things.
