Awake

Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

-Matthew 24:42

Advent! The start of the new church year is upon us and begins this Sunday. Ordinary time, or the season of Pentecost, began way back in May on Pentecost Sunday. It’s the longest season of the church year and seems to last forever. But then all of a sudden, Advent is upon us!

On New Year’s Day, people stay up late to welcome the new year at midnight. In the church, staying up late kind of lasts a whole season. In this sleepy, dark time of year (at least here in the northern hemisphere) the readings tell us to wake up, be watchful, and become more aware of what God is up to in the world and in ourselves. With God, something new is always on its way, and Advent is the season to keep your spiritual light on in expectation. To welcome God’s light into a dark and discouraged world.

I will look forward to seeing the advent wreath once again, singing “Behold Your God” at the top of my lungs, and starting a new church year with all of you at St. James. Who knows what God’s got in store for us? While we know that the season of incarnation is right around the corner, we’re never quite sure how God will take shape in us and among us and between us in the year ahead. But what a gift it is to be entering into it together.

The Sunday Lectionary cycle starts over again when Advent begins. We just completed “Year C,” so this Sunday, we will once again begin “Year A.” The readings for this Sunday are here