Advent 1B
When it comes to kitchen remodeling there are two types of people, those who plan every little detail and those who swing sledge hammers. For the planners, they measure the exact length required to obtain that perfect refrigerator – stove -- sink triangular relationship. They ponder for hours on just the right texture and color of counter tops and cabinets to fill that perfect space.
The detailers get very excited pulling various artistic and creative ideas together. Then in perfect timing they plan a cruise to New Zealand as one of the most important rooms in their home is uprooted, disheveled and totally transformed, causing layer upon layer of dust and dirt to settle everywhere. They escape living in the resulting chaos and clutter. These guys are the smart ones!
Then there are those like me who immerse themselves into the dust and dirt of it all. They also enjoy planning and coordinating all aspects of the remodeling, but the real excitement comes when they actually begin to tear out the old kitchen themselves. I love kitchen redos for this reason. The first slam of the sledge hammer against the old dry wall, the getting rid of the 1960’s orange Formica with a few swings is awesome. Dust flying, holes appearing, worn out cabinets being broken apart is all part of the excitement.
When I finally see the clear empty open space ready to receive all that is new, possible, beautiful and transformed … it gets my heart racing!
Part of the excitement I must confess is irrational hope I have of finding behind the cabinets or old dry wall a valuable relic from the past: a letter from the Revolutionary War or a strong box filled with artifacts. You know, the kind of relic that prompts Mark Warlberg on the Antique Road show to say: “You have a National Treasure here, worth over a half a million dollars!” Yes I secretly hope for such an item to appear with each blow of the sledge hammer. Yet all I seem to find are old rusty straight edged razor blades dropped into the dry wall space from the bathroom cabinet “slot” in the adjoining room. So much for finding national treasures in unexpected places!
However, in our first scripture reading today, taken from the narrative lectionary series, such an event occurred. In the 7th century BCE, Josiah was appointed king over Judah at the tender age of eight. King Josiah was a man devoted to the ancestral spirit of King David and sought to bring his people back to worshipping YHWH as their only God. His reform was far more sweeping than previous kings and ushered in a new age: one dedicated to worshipping YHWH alone.
During his reign Josiah orders that all statues and items attributed to the Assyrian gods be removed from the Temple in Jerusalem. During this vast remodeling project a national treasure was found: the Book of the Law of Moses. The priest Hilkiah consults the prophetess Huldah as to its authenticity. She informs him that it indeed the Torah: the Law of Moses, and to heed its message:
“Therefore, I will gather you to your ancestors, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring on this place."
They took the message back to King Josiah. The king rendered his garment, as a sign of repentance and called the people together to hear the Book of the Law of Moses being read aloud. As they heard Torah being read they rededicate themselves to the LORD, renewing the covenant of their ancestors Moses and King David. They turn their hearts from their adulterous ways of worshiping other gods, and return to the Lord as their first love. This finding of the Book of the Law of Moses in the Temple, many scholars say, is the foundational manuscript for our present day Book of Deuteronomy, and was very influential in the history of the Jewish nation.
Just as King Josiah was appointed king over Judah at the age of eight and is credited for bringing his people back to God through following Torah, Jesus is brought to the Temple for circumcision at eight days old. He becomes the new Torah. Every night as we pray Evening Prayer we recall the words of Simeon, who is a seeker and a watcher in the temple. When Simeon glimpses Jesus being circumcised, he announces to those in the Temple (and to the entire world), that this small child is the Light to enlighten all the nations and is the glory of the people Israel. He proclaims that Jesus is in fact the Law of Moses. Simeon also found a hidden treasure in the Temple, that day.
Jesus becomes the new Torah for us. He, the temple, will be destroyed and raised up again in three days, Jesus tells us. We are brought back to God through Jesus, God incarnate. It is through Jesus that we will return to God in our hearts. Josiah’s reform foreshadows Jesus’ mission, and Simeon’s days of watching for the Messiah are over. Simeon is set free and may now go in peace as he was promised. His days of watching are over. Ours are not.
As you entered Church today things looked different. Look carefully around you and notice the change. The liturgical colors of purple now adorn our altar and vestments. (Even the choir has new purple robes!) The advent wreath and candles are now present and Nativity figurines grace our worship space. These are gentle reminders that something new is happening. Today we celebrate the First Sunday of Advent.
As a young boy of 5, I enjoyed very much these weeks leading up to Christmas. After want seemed to be a very long time of green vestments, Advent was refreshing. The wreath and candles, the singing of O Come, O Come Emmanuel was a joyous announcement that Christmas was just around the corner.
The Season of Advent to my young mind was all about preparing for Christmas Day. It meant that we would soon be hanging Christmas lights on our house and picking out a Christmas tree at the local nursery. However, in my mind, there was another and far more serious reason for Advent. It meant that I would have to buckle down and start acting like a very good five year old boy because the Advent “clock” had begun. If I was to make a good impression on Santa, the time for action was now! The clock had started ticking and there was no stopping it. I had to make up for lost opportunities where I had failed to be my best. No more pulling my sister’s hair or running through the house screaming like a five year old. Christmas gifts were at stake, here!
These signs of Advent were reminders that this was a time to start over in becoming a good little boy. I could hear the Advent clock loud and clear: Tick, Tick, Tick!
I guess in many ways, the season of Advent is over-shadowed by the fast approaching Christmas Season. We are busy shopping for friends, family and co-workers. Our calendar begins to fill up with seasonal events and social gatherings to the point that we seem to have very little time for ourselves and God. Even at Church, the planning for the Christmas services involves almost everyone in the parish. There are linens to press, vestments to clean, flowers to buy, Christmas trees and manger scenes to set up, the Rector’s Christmas letter to write, Christmas homilies to prepare and special bulletins to create. The list goes on and on. The closer we get to Christmas Day the more we forget about the Season of Advent.
So the Church in her wisdom offers us a time in Advent to stop, pause, and repent of our sinful ways in preparation not for the first coming of Christ, but for his coming again. We are asked to reflect on our adulterous ways of worshipping other false gods. Do we place our trust and hope in God? Do we worship God in our hearts above all things? These are hard questions to ask and I must admit at times I fail miserably.
Yet just as in Josiah’s time, we are invited to discover a new and start over again; to discover in new and unexpected ways who this Jesus is for us. Isn’t that what Advent is all about, returning our hearts back to God in ways that are new and freshly discovered.
May this Advent season be a reminder to us that God is our first love and that we need to remodel our lives based upon God’s love and will for us. We need tear out the “old kitchen” of our sinful ways and habits so that God can find a clear, open and receptive space in our hearts. Hearts ready to receive all that God has planned for us, remodeling us in new and beautiful ways. We need to be watching so that as God finds us so prepared to receive him as the Incarnation this Christmas, so too we may receive him more readily when he comes again in glory. This is a time for remodeling our souls; to find hidden treasures within. The rediscover our first love of God in Christ Jesus. Soul remodeling as in kitchen remodeling is exciting … it gets my heart racing. And God’s heart races in response. Amen
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