ADVENT: I am a huge fan of Advent! Advent leads to Christmas. Advent begins a new year in the Church calendar. Advent has some of the greatest hymns that have ever been written. And did I mention that Advent leads to Christmas!
The liturgical year of the church begins on the First Sunday of Advent. Throughout the church year there are two major cycles that determine when the Seasons and Major Holy Days of the year are observed: the first cycle revolves around the movable date of Easter Sunday (in 2010 Easter was April 4, in 2011 Easter is April 24), the second cycle revolves around the fixed date of Christmas Day (Christmas is always December 25). The date of Easter determines when the church observes or celebrates Ash Wednesday and the Season of Lent; Holy Week including Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday; Eastertide including Ascension Day, the fortieth day of Eastertide, and Pentecost the fiftieth and final day of Eastertide; and the Sundays of the Season after Pentecost, including Trinity Sunday, the first Sunday after Pentecost. The rest of the church year is determined by the fixed date of Christmas. The four Sundays before Christmas Day are always the four Sundays of Advent – in fact, Christmas Eve can be celebrated on the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Christmastide is twelve days and includes several Biblical Holy Days. The Holy Name of Jesus, commemorating the Biblical naming of Jesus on the eighth day after his birth, is celebrated on New Year’s Day every year. The Epiphany, commemorating the revelation to the Magi as the King of Kings, the first of many ways that Jesus is revealed to the world, is always celebrated twelve days after Christmas on January 6. There are a few other Holy Days that are also determined by Christmas Day. The Presentation (commonly called Candlemas), commemorating the presentation of Jesus in the temple forty days after his birth, is celebrated each year on February 2. The Annunciation, when the Angel Gabriel announces that the Virgin Mary will conceive and bear a child by the power of the Holy Spirit, is always celebrated on March 25, exactly nine months before Christmas Day. The birth of John the Baptist (who we are told must decrease, while Jesus increases) is celebrated on June 24, six months before Christmas Day: the dark winter days begin to get longer around Christmas, the long summer days begin to get shorter after the Summer solstice at the end of June. All of that starts with Christmas and Easter, the great celebrations of “God with us” and the celebration of the resurrection of the Son of God from the dead. There is a fascinating history behind how these two great Holy Days are chosen, and I invite you to delve into the history and meaning of the liturgical year. One of my favorite books on that subject is The Liturgical Year by Adolph Adam. It’s a wonderful resource to own, and it will answer many of the questions you might have about why the church does what it does during the year.
The liturgical year begins with Advent. Advent is the season of preparation for Christmas, a time of waiting, watching and preparing, but also a time for great joy and celebration. Sometimes, I think, Advent gets confused with Lent, the season of penitence and preparation before Eastertide. Both Advent and Lent share the same liturgical color, both seasons drop “Glory to God in the highest” as the opening Song of Praise, and there is a long history of penance and fasting attached in parts of the church to both seasons. But the similarities really end there. Alleluia is still sung in Advent, and a constant theme of joy peppers the entire season. The hymns of Advent, in particular, stand in sharp contrast to the hymns of Lent. Throughout Advent we will sing the most well known favorite “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” There are eight verses (each originally assigned for the 8 days before Christmas) and they divide up nicely for the four Sunday of Advent (two verses each week). Recall the refrain at the end of each verse: “Rejoice! rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!” Not particularly penitential, is it? Other hymns in Advent, such as “Sleeper’s wake, a voice is sounding” and “Lo! he comes, with clouds descending” contain the phrases: “Alleluia! Therefore we sing to greet our King, forever let our praises ring.” and “Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ the Lord returns to reign!” These are songs of joy! And the music for the hymns of Advent reflects this theme of joy. Advent hymns are either downright beautiful or they are upbeat barnburners that blow the doors of the church. Compare Advent hymns to those of Lent, and you will quickly discover that Lent is dominated by deep penitence and somberness, in word and music.
As we move toward Christmas the Advent hymns become more and more overtly about the birth of Jesus, and the lines blur between Advent and Christmas more and more. I admit that I am writing this note in my office with Christmas Carols (sung by two other kings, Benny King and Elvis Presley) blaring. If my back weren’t bothering me (long story – threw it out a month ago and it’s slowly improving), I’d probably be outside putting up Christmas lights in front of my house so the church can start keeping up with the neighbors who are really beginning to amp up their celebration of the Christmas with more and more decorations. I’m looking forward to putting up our Christmas Tree before Christmas Eve; I want to setup my electric trains; I want to have a proper eggnog. The fact is that it will take me a few weeks to get all of those things done, and as each day moves us closer to Christmas, the more prepared for Christmas I will be.
I hope that everyone has a fantastic and joyful Advent. The church offers a great variety of ways to prepare for Christmas in a festive and joyful way. The Sundays of Advent have great hymns and, let’s be honest, purple vestments are wild! The always fun and quite delicious annual Christmas Bazaar will take place on December 11 and 12. There is time to decorate your house, time to buy gifts and stocking stuffers, and most importantly there is time to figure out which family members, friends or co-workers, you hope to bring to Good Shepherd for Christmas. The Christmas Eve Family Service (with Child Care) is at 5PM. The Christmas Concert begins at 10:30PM and is followed by the Midnight Mass as 11PM. Christmas Day Sung Holy Eucharist will be celebrated at 10AM (different hymns and carols from Christmas Eve).
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