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.

Source

I have a dear friend, Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourette who lives in a Benedictine monastery in upstate New York.  Among other things, Brother Victor is the author of several cook books.  My favorite of his books is Twelve Months of Monastery Soups.  In this book, Brother Victor does an amazing job of presenting, as the title suggests, twelve months of soups, that he prepared right in his own monastery kitchen.  I have made several in the past and I am going to share one recipe that I recently made, and I am still enjoying.  I hope you enjoy this soup.

Saint Nicholas Soup

Ingredients

2 ounces of butter or margarine
2 leeks or onions
4 medium-sized carrots
3 turnips
4 Potatoes
half a medium-sized head white cabbage
1 tsp salt or more, according to taste
4 quarts water
croutons (Br Victor includes a recipe in his book to make your own)
1/3 cup minced chervil, chopped

1.  Wash and peel the vegetables. Slice them into small pieces

2.  Melt the butter in a large soup pot. Add the vegetables and salt and stir a few times. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let it rest for about 15 to 20 minutes.  Add the water and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and allow the soup to cook slowly for about 30 to 40 minutes.  Stir from time to time.

3. When the soup is done, blend all of it in a blender until it becomes creamy and even. Serve hot, adding some croutons to each bowl and sprinkling some chervil on top.

Charity ~ Dr John McCulloch. Ministry candidate in training (Argyll)

I love St. Nicholas.  I mean you have to love a guy that gives money so people can get out of slavery and also punch a heretic in the face during a Church Council.  Unfortunately, when most people think of St. Nicholas they think of the guy in the red suit.  How sad.

Not many people know the story of St. Nicholas slapping Arius in the ace during the Council of Nicea in 325 AD.  Here is a synopsis of the story from the website of the St. Nicholas Center:

In AD 325 Emperor Constantine convened the Council of Nicaea, the very first ecumenical council. More than 300 bishops came from all over the Christian world to debate the nature of the Holy Trinity. It was one of the early church’s most intense theological questions. Arius, from Egypt, was teaching that Jesus the Son was not equal to God the Father. Arius forcefully argued his position at length. The bishops listened respectfully.

As Arius vigorously continued, Nicholas became more and more agitated. Finally, he could no longer bear what he believed was essential being attacked. The outraged Nicholas got up, crossed the room, and slapped Arius across the face! The bishops were shocked. It was unbelievable that a bishop would lose control and be so hotheaded in such a solemn assembly. They brought Nicholas to Constantine. Constantine said even though it was illegal for anyone to strike another in his presence, in this case, the bishops themselves must determine the punishment.

The bishops stripped Nicholas of his bishop’s garments, chained him, and threw him into jail. That would keep Nicholas away from the meeting. When the Council ended a final decision would be made about his future.

Nicholas was ashamed and prayed for forgiveness, though he did not waver in his belief. During the night, Jesus and Mary his Mother, appeared, asking, “Why are you in jail?” “Because of my love for you,” Nicholas replied. Jesus then gave the Book of the Gospels to Nicholas. Mary gave him an omophorion, so Nicholas would again be dressed as a bishop. Now at peace, Nicholas studied the Scriptures for the rest of the night.

When the jailer came in the morning, he found the chains loose on the floor and Nicholas dressed in bishop’s robes, quietly reading the Scriptures. When Constantine was told of this, the emperor asked that Nicholas be freed. Nicholas was then fully reinstated as the Bishop of Myra.

The Council of Nicaea agreed with Nicholas’ views, deciding the question against Arius. The work of the Council produced the Nicene Creed which to this day many Christians repeat weekly when they stand to say what they believe.

What I like about this story is that even though St. Nicholas was correct in his belief he showed repentance for his actions.  He lost his cool, and he never should have done that.  He was thrown into jail as a punishment where he found repentance.

This is a story that we all can grab on to for we have all done things we should not have and need to find reconciliation.  I am sure that none of our sins were this public, but they are sins none the less and we all need to be reconciled to each other and to God.

Use this time of the preparation for the Nativity of our Lord in the Flesh to reconcile yourself like St. Nicholas did.  Who knows, you might become a saint!

John that Baptist is an interesting character in the life of Jesus.  We do not know much about him other than he is a cousin to Jesus and was born a few months before him.  The only interactions we see between them is just before Jesus starting his public ministry when Jesus approaches John while he is baptizing people in the Jordan.  John is the one chosen who will announce that Jesus has come and points him out to Andrew who was one of John’s followers. John often runs afoul of authority, and we see this play itself out in the 3rd chapter of the Matthew’s Gospel.

John is teaching and preaching in the “wilderness” of Judea.  He is calling the people to repentance and quotes the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord; Make his paths straight.” He was attracting quite a crowd of people from the area, and this brought him to the attention of the authorities.  Individuals who are in power do not like to be challenged, and this is exactly what John was doing.

The Pharisees and Sadducees were coming out to see what was going on and John tested them by calling them a “Brood of Vipers.”  As you can imagine this did not sit too well with them, and they started to plot against him.

Jesus will use these same words against the same people in chapter 12 and chapter 23.  Jesus was always the hardest on those in religious leadership.  Jesus held the religious leaders to a much higher standard than other people.  Jesus never scolded anyone, well he came close with the woman at the well, but he dealt with people as people, except the religious leaders of his day. As much as John was calling the people to repentance, he was also calling the religious leaders to repentance.

Advent is a time for us to consider how we might be being called to reconcile not only with God but with other people.  The Advent season and the coming Christmas season is a great time to consider calling someone that we have been estranged from and repair that relationship.  It’s also a perfect time to improve your relationship with God.

The message of repentance that John was preaching in that desert are as necessary today as they were on that day.  There is no time like the present for reconciliation.

For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. Isaiah 9:6-7

The theme of this 2nd week of Advent is that of Peace.  We hear the announcement of the coming of the one who will be called the Prince of Peace, the Mighty and Everlasting Parent of us all.  This peace will not come through war or violence but the establishment of justice and righteousness for all.  It is a reminder to us that we need to seek peace where ever we can find it and that peace begins with us.

I think we sometimes forget that Jesus came to bring peace to the world, peace that will pass all understanding.  We read in the 11th Chapter of Isaiah that the lion will lay down with the lamb and the Cow and bear will graze together in the pasture, in other words, natural enemies shall become friends.  This peace does not come about by mutual destruction but through love and understanding.

Peace is a spiritual discipline, and like all spiritual disciplines, it begins inside each of us.  I have used the image of the stone in the pond and the ripples moving out from it before, but it is also applicable to this idea of peace.  If we obtain peace within ourselves, within our homes, within our churches, then peace will spread out from us just like those ripples.

The 19th century Russian Monk Seraphim of Sarov is quoted as saying, “Acquire a peaceful spirit and then thousands of others around you will be saved.” Seraphim is speaking of our internal peace, peace within ourselves and he is reminding us that is we obtain this peace there is no end to what we can hope to accomplish for the Kingdom.

I truly love this time of year – it is in fact “the most wonderful time of the year.”  Wait, wait it is not time for Christmas songs just yet!  Anyway, I do love this time of giving thanks for all the blessings in our lives and yes, we all have blessings to be thankful for.

In the 12th chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke there is a story of a rich man whose land “brought forth plentifully” and he ran out of space to store all that he had.  So he thought about it and decided he needed to build a larger barn to store all that he had.  When he completed its construction he stepped back and said to his soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.”

Now at first glance this sounds like a good story and the man is wise for storing things that he might need in the future. However, the story does not end there. That night God came to him and said, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”  In other words that night the man died and all of his stores went to waste.

Now a clarification.  I am not insinuating that we should not be prepared, we should – we should always be prepared and there is nothing wrong with living a life that is comfortable, but this man went overboard.

Thanksgiving is a time for being thankful for what we have and the very next day, Black Friday, most Americans will be standing in line for the latest gadget that someone has convinced you that you need and will be the best way to express your love to someone.  We have bought into the notion that we need a bigger barn to store up all of our stuff in.

But what about the ones who have nothing?  You have read my words before about taking care of our neighbor and how important that is to our spiritual lives; in fact it is a command that we have to follow.  We do not know for sure, but we can infer from the story, that the man was not generous with his things and was not helping those in need.  He kept all that he had for himself and did not share his good fortune with others.  We also do not hear him giving thanks to God for the many blessings he received in his life.

The 4th century bishop and theologian Basil the Great worked in around the city he lived in trying to ease the pain of the less fortunate.  He created what was called a Basilum, a small monastic village with doctors and other tradesmen who would help those around them.  I guess you could say this was the first homeless shelter although by design it was to break the cycle of poverty rather than just provide a place to lay one’s head.  Basil was very hard on those around him who had much but did not share.

Basil said many things but the quote I remember most is this one, “When someone steals another’s clothes, we call them a thief. Should we not give the same name to one who could clothe the naked and does not? The bread in your cupboard belongs to the hungry; the coat unused in your closet belongs to the one who needs it; the shoes rotting in your closet belong to the one who has no shoes; the money which you hoard up belongs to the poor.”

This is what we need to think about and ponder in our own lives; I know I am going to ponder it.  Be thankful for what we have, live a comfortable life, but remember those around us who are less fortunate.

Listen is the first word in the Rule that Benedict wrote for his monasteries.  He was encouraging his monks to spend time each and every day in active listening with God.  In the United Church of Christ, we proclaim with a loud voice that “God is still speaking,” and I believe this, but the question we have to ask is, are God’s people still listening?

Benedict’s rule was filled with practical advice on how to live life as a monastic and live in a community.  Part of the practical advice, or wisdom, is that listening is a full action of the entire body.  Benedict instructed his monks in the art of Lectio Devina, and yes it is an art.  This is the practice of praying with the Scriptures or letting the Scriptures speak to you.  But it takes time and concentration to learn.  But it is not a passive form of listening as it involves the entire body.

Hearing, or listening to God’s voice, takes priority over seeing.  I am a firm believer that Scripture should be heard and not just read.  In most of our churches, we have Bibles in the pews for the faithful to use.  We instruct them on the page they should turn to for the readings that they will hear read.  The faithful follow along, reading, and not listening.  Sure you hear the words being read, but you are not listening.  Scripture was meant to be heard not just read.  The art of Lectio Devina requires us to slow down and read, and reread Scripture, in fact, Benedict would suggest reading it out loud to ourselves.

If you believe that God is still speaking, then we have to keep listening and put ourselves in a position to hear that voice.  Spend some time this Advent season listening for God’s voice in your life.