The early church lived with a sense of expectation for the second coming of Jesus Christ and James exhorts his people, in today’s scripture passage, to wait with patience for the few years that remain.

During this waiting, he told them, they had to reconfirm their faith. They must not blame one another for the troubles of the situation they find themselves in for if they do they will break the commandment which forbids Christians from judging one another.  However, and we have talked about this before, there is a difference between judgment and discernment.  We are called to discern the activities and actions of others up against what is and what is not Christian and by doing so know who, and who not, to follow.

But I would like to turn our attention to the person of John the Baptist.  John is an interesting character, and this is the only time in the Church year we hear about.  The four Gospels all have his story, and there he is, every Advent, standing by the River Jordan and telling us to Repent for the Kingdom of God has come near.

But John is interesting for more than what he wears or what he eats; his message is one that is more often than not, overlooked in the grand scheme of salvation history. John is the last of the prophets, and as such he comes at the end of a very long and distinguished prophetic line. From Isaiah to Ezekiel to Joel they all had the same message, “Shape up or else.”  But John stands that on its head and changes direction just when we think we have it all figured out.

John’s message was not to repent, “or the kingdom of heaven will come near.”  This message is a threat and something to be feared by those listening, and it was designed to keep them on the straight and narrow.  He also does not say, “repent and the kingdom of heaven will come near.” This message is a reward system and a merit-based approach to our spirituality much like the prosperity gospel that is all the rage at the moment.  The prosperity gospel looks at the Bible as a contract between God and humanity. If we have faith in God, God will reward us with success and prosperity. But John’s message changes all of this thinking.

John has removed us, humanity, totally from the equation and is telling us that what is happening has nothing to do with us but is all the doing of Jesus Christ.   In Jesus Christ the kingdom of heaven HAS come near and what John is announcing is this new reality, and he is telling us that we have a choice to be part of it or not.

John uses this word repent, but we have placed a different meaning on this word then John intended.  To understand the reality of the message we need to know a little Greek.  The word that is used here literally means to change one’s mind.  Scripture commentators have defined on an even broader scale to mean a re-centering or a reordering of our lives.  The essence of what John is saying here is that we need to reorder our priorities and return to God, and what God wants for us in our lives.  He is calling us to be part of the kingdom of God for it is heard and he does not want us to miss it.

But how do we get in synch with what God wants for our lives?  James was telling his followers that the Second Coming was imminent that it was going to happen soon and they needed to be ready.  Well, apparently it did not occur in their lifetime nor many lifetimes.  There are many people who have claimed to know when this will happen but Matthew and Mark tell us that only God knows when this will happen.  In fact, Jesus says that he does not even know.  So we should stop trying to figure it out and listen to those who think they know.  What they are saying is that they know God’s mind, and well that is a scary prospect.

So what do we do?  Well, we turn to scripture to find the answer. 1 Peter 4:7 tells us to “be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers.”  We are to be like servants whose master has gone away and, not knowing when he will return, must have everything ready no matter when he returns.

We must take the time to prepare; again we turn to 1 Peter 4:7 and Peter tell us to be serious about our preparation.  This not something that we can just do at the last minute.  How many of us would invite say 100 people over for dinner and wait until the last minute to do the shopping and cooking?  I am sure none of us would, but sometimes we treat our spiritual life like it is a last minute thing.

We must get ourselves to holiness. 1 Thessalonians 3:13 says, “strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.” We must become blameless before God in body and spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound[a] and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

We must put off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Romans 13:12-14, “Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

And when the time comes we must be found in fellowship.  1 Peter 4:8-9, “Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining.”  Paul commands that everything we do must be done from and in love. Paul says that our forbearance with each other must be known to all. The word he uses here is translated from the Greek word which means a spirit that is more willing to offer forgiveness than it is to seek justice.

In his letter to the Hebrews Paul demands of us mutual help, mutual Christian fellowship, and mutual encouragement. ” Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

In the end, we must have our personal relationships with each other in the right position, we must love God, and we must love our neighbor, not matter who that neighbor is, no matter what god that neighbor worships, and no matter what color our neighbor’s skin is.  James tells us that we to show no partiality in our faith at all.

The best preparation we can ever have is to abide in Christ, and we can do that by living close to him every day. 1 John 2:28, “And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he is revealed, we may have confidence and not be put to shame before him at his coming.”

What John is telling us, what the season of Advent is telling us is to be ready, be watchful, be prepared, and be waiting.  But while we do all of this we turn to the prophet Mica for the answer, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Well, we have arrived at the mid-point in our Advent celebration.  The third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday, and the theme for this particular Sunday is rejoice.  The mood of the Scripture readings changes from a somber, penitential one to one of rejoicing in the coming of Christ into the world.

Gaudete comes from the Latin word for Rejoice and is the first word of the Introit for this Sunday and comes from Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.”  This passage is a reminder to us that we, as Christians, need to continually rejoice for what God has done and continued to do in our lives.

This Sunday is also referred to as “Rose Sunday” for it is on this Sunday that we light the rose colored candle in our Advent Wreath. This candle is another symbol that breaks the starkness of the penitential season as each of the previous weeks we have lite the purple colored candles.  The bright color is to remind us again, of this call for all Christians to rejoice always.

As we continue our Advent journey, let us always remember this call for us to rejoice always.

As we draw near to the celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ it is time to reflect on some Strange Christmas Traditions from other places.  I am not talking about what we do in our own homes, although I could share stories of being locked in my room waiting to open gifts, but rather interesting things that happen in other places.

Scotland is an interesting mix of religious and secular traditions.  Prior to the Reformation making its way to Scotland the celebration of Yuletide and Christmas were done together in a long celebration that lasted until after the New Year.  The name comes from the Scandinavians, for whom ‘Yultid’ celebrated during twelfth month, being the twelfth name of Odin, who was supposed to come to earth in December, disguised in a hooded cloak. He would sit awhile at the firesides listening to the people, and where there was want he left a gift of bread or coins.

Nollaig Beag, or Little Christmas was the celebration of the Birth of Christ and was celebrated not with parties but in a very solemn way.  The festivities would being a few days later and spill over in to the New Year or the Twelfth Night.  The French often called Christmas ‘Homme est né’, Man is Born, and some believe this is the root of the word ‘Hogmanay’ the celebration of the New Year.

With the Reformation almost all Christmas celebrations were banned and people were even fined for celebrating the feast.  Bakers who would make the traditional Yuelbreads were fined and in 1638 the General Assembly in Edinburgh tried to abolish Yuletide.  The restoration of the Monarchy brought back the celebration of Christmas although it was still frowned upon by the Kirk.  The celebration remained alive in the High Church and among the Roman Catholic population.

So here are some interesting tradition from Scotland:

Black Bun. Originally Twelfth Night Cake. It is a very rich fruit cake, almost solid with fruit, almonds, spices and the ingredients are bound together with plenty of Whisky. The stiff mixture is put into a cake tin lined with a rich short pastry and baked.

This takes the place of the even more ancient Sun Cakes. A legacy from Scotland’s close associations with Scandinavia. Sun cakes were baked with a hole in the centre and symmetrical lines around, representing the rays of the Sun. This pattern is now found on the modern Scottish Shortbread, and has been misidentified as convenient slices marked onto the shortbread!

Bees leave hives Xmas Morn. There is an old belief that early on Christmas Morning all bees will leave their hives, swarm, and then return. Many old Scots tell tales of having witnessed this happening, though no-one can explain why. One explanation is that bees get curious about their surroundings, and if there is unexpected activity they will want to check it out to see if there is any danger. As people were often up and about on Christmas night observing various traditions, or just returning from the night services, the bees would sense the disturbance and come out to see what was going on.

Divination customs – Ashes, Bull, Cailleach

There are a number of ancient divination customs associated with Scottish Christmas tradition. One involves checking the cold ashes the morning after the Christmas fire. A foot shape facing the door was said to be foretelling a death in the family, while a foot facing into the room meant a new arrival.

Another was the ceremonial burning of Old Winter, the Cailleach. A piece of wood was carved roughly to represent the face of an old woman, then named as the Spirit of Winter, the Cailleach. This was placed onto a good fire to burn away, and all the family gathered had to watch to the end. The burning symbolised the ending of all the bad luck and enmities etc of the old year, with a fresh start.

The Candlemas Bull was in reality a cloud. It was believed that a bull would cross the sky in the form of a cloud, early on the morning on Candlemas, February 2nd. From its appearance people would divine. An East travelling cloud foretold a good year, south meant a poor grain year, but if it faced to the west the year would be poor. This custom was a remnant of the ancient Mithraiac religion, when the Bull-god would come at the start of Spring to warn of the year the farmers could expect.

CANDLELIGHT

All of the Celtic countries have a similar custom of lighting a candle at Christmastime to light the way of a stranger. (See LIGHT IN THE WINDOW IRISH CUSTOMS)

In Scotland was the Oidche Choinnle, or Night of Candles. Candles were placed in every window to light the way for the Holy Family on Christmas Eve and First Footers on New Years Eve. Shopkeepers gave their customers Yule Candles as a symbol of goodwill wishing them a ‘Fire to warm you by, and a light to guide you’.

FIRST FOOTERS

It was and still is the custom for a stranger to enter the house after midnight on New Years Eve/Day. There were taboos about the luck such a stranger would bring, especially in the days of hospitality to travelling strangers. A fair haired visitor was considered bad luck in most areas, partly due to the in-fighting between the dark scots and the fair Norse invaders. However, in Christian times, a fair haired man was considered very lucky providing his name was Andrew! Because St Andrew is the Patron Saint of Scotland. A woman is considered taboo still in many areas!

The Firstfooter must make an offering, a HANDSEL. This can be food, drink or fuel for the fire. The ritual which have grown up around this custom are many. An offering of food or drink must be accepted by sharing it with everyone present, including the visitor. Fuel, must be placed onto the fire by the visitor with the words ‘A Good New Year to one and all and many may you see’. In todays often fireless society the fuel is usually presented as a polished piece of coal, or wood which can be preserved for the year as an ornament.

Sayings eg : Is blianach Nollaid gun sneachd – Christmas without snow is poor fare.

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