"Odd"

Sermon by The Rev. Cindy Carter 

December 1, 2024

A quote attributed to Flannery O’Connor, the Southern writer and devout Roman Catholic, tells us, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you odd.”

Now I don’t know the exact context in which this quote was originally used, but I do know that it never feels more true to me than it does during the season of Advent. 

It’s a season in which the truth of our religious tradition can certainly make those of us who are Episcopalians seem more than a bit odd. 

We don’t have our poinsettias out yet; we won’t sing Christmas carols until December 24^th; and our nave is blue instead of red and green.

Advent is just plain odd. Advent doesn’t fit our culture at all.  Out in the world, it has looked, sounded, and smelled like Christmas for quite a while now. And, if Advent is truly supposed to prepare us for the celebration of Christmas, then perhaps we should have done Advent sometime early last fall – like way before Halloween.

Whatever the church is doing here, it just doesn’t seem to fit the world in which we live, does it?

You see, in our religious tradition, Advent isn’t about shopping, decorating, baking and cooking, partying, or rushing around.

Advent is about watching, preparing, waiting, anticipating.

During the season of Advent, we are preparing to commemorate the birth of Jesus. But, we are also anticipating Christ’s return. 

We are people who live in the “already – not yet.” Jesus has come and God’s kingdom on earth has already been initiated. But, that kingdom has not come in its fullness yet, not yet, not until Christ comes back in power and glory.   

Already – not yet. 

And, no season captures this reality, this tension, better than Advent. Advent invites us to sit with the uncomfortable reality that Jesus hasn’t fixed everything yet. 

I tend to think of these four weeks waiting for and anticipating Christmas as a spiritual discipline, an exercise if you will, that builds our spiritual muscles for the really challenging task of waiting for the return of the risen Christ in glory, when everything will be fixed. A time of waiting that no one can predict its length or when it will occur.     

The early Christians in Thessolonika to whom Paul wrote in the letter we heard today felt a whole lot of tension about the already not yet. They knew that Jesus had indeed come, and they believed that Jesus was coming. But, they believed that Jesus was coming back soon, very soon. So soon that no believers would die before Jesus came back.

Then waiting for Jesus to return got really hard because believers began to die and Jesus had not come back. How could they keep waiting?

This is one of the primary situations that caused Paul to write the letter from which we’ve read this morning. 

And, we heard how Paul encouraged them.

…may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may he so 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.

Jesus is coming with all his saints - but not yet. Keep waiting, Keep watching.

Advent is indeed a very odd season.

So, what are we to do with this odd season that begins the church year?

Well, we could just forget about waiting, join the world in its mad rush to December 25^th, and consider Advent to be a quaint,charming vestige of church history. 

The Advent wreath is a lovely custom and all that, but we’ve got shopping to do, gifts to wrap, parties to attend, cookies to bake, Santa to see, cards to write, trees to decorate, and on and on.

We could do that, and a lot of us will do that.

But, I’ve concluded that while it may be an odd season, Advent is perhaps more necessary today than ever before. 

We live in a culture, where people can give thanks for all their blessings on Thursday and then rush out on Friday to grab up some more stuff. In fact, we don’t even have to wait and leave our homes to do our shopping on Friday. We can now shop on-line all day and all night, beginning on Thursday. 

In that kind of culture, we desperately need an alternative way of looking at things and doing things. Because our culture is not very good at watching and preparing and waiting and anticipating. 

Now, don’t worry, I am not going to begin a rant about not putting up your Christmas tree early (yours may already be decorated and glowing in your living room and that’s great). Or avoiding singing even one Christmas carol before Christmas Eve (I love Christmas carols). Or not going to any Christmas parties before December 25^th (parties can be great) 

What I would like to recommend is that we all do something truly odd and counter—cultural, and take Advent seriously this year. That we use this next 23 days to watch, to prepare, to wait, to anticipate - in whatever way each of us sees fit. To find there is real joy in waiting.

Maybe we can make a vow not to overcommit, to give ourselves some quiet space to prepare our hearts and minds. Are there things we don’t absolutely have to do, places we don’t absolutely have to be, so that we can open our lives to God just a bit during these days? 

So, we don’t wear ourselves out physically, emotionally, and spiritually - arriving at church on Christmas Eve too tired, too frustrated, too sick of what the world defines as “Christmas” truly to commemorate the coming of Jesus more than 2000 years ago, much less to think about Christ’s return in power and glory.

Maybe we can make a vow to be in worship on the four Sundays of Advent (you’re here today, so you are already 25 % of the way to that goal)? To give ourselves a space once a week to get away from the Christmas sights and sounds that are all around us. To come to a place that is a bit more quiet, a bit more holy.

Maybe to take on a discipline of more time for prayer each day, more time to read scripture or some devotional material. To learn more about Jesus, what he taught and lived, and how we can be people of God’s kingdom. 

If you are looking for Advent reading material, check out the display of wonderful books in the cloister. For scripture readings, I often suggest reading portions of the prophets for Advent, since they are all about waiting and watching and expecting.

Maybe we can make a vow to be engaged in ministries of service during this time, to help move God’s kingdom a little closer to its fullness here and now. If you are looking for ways to be of service this Advent, be sure to check our weekly outreach e-mail.   

Perhaps you could invite someone who is not so happy this holiday season or someone who is alone and lonely to come with you to one or two of our many events at All Saints during Advent. 

Or perhaps you could send notes and cards to people you have not seen at All Saints for a while just to let them know you are thinking about them. Maybe they have been ill, or unable to leave their home, or whatever the reason they have been away – I am sure they would be delighted to hear from you.

Maybe we can be a little more mindful, more awake, in each moment of each day – seeing Jesus in the faces of those around us, recognizing the image of God in all our brothers and sisters. Even seeing the image of God in ourselves.

So, this morning I invite us all, and that includes me, to take Advent seriously this year; to risk being counter-cultural, to risk being a little bit odd compared to the rest of the world; to watch, prepare, wait, and anticipate.

On this first Sunday morning of Advent, may we hear the voice of Jesus say, “I am coming soon. Wait. Watch. Be ready.”

AMEN.