Fr. Bill Carroll – First Sunday of Advent, December 1, 2024
May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The King shall come when morning dawns
And earth’s dark night is past;
O haste the rising of the morn,
The day that e’er shall last;
And let the endless bliss begin,
By weary saints foretold,
When right shall triumph over wrong,
And truth shall be extolled.
Today, beloved, we begin a new Church year. We come to God in bondage. And we ask him to set us free. For we are prisoners to the ways of sin and death. By our own choice, we have lost our way. We have damaged our freedom to love.
And yet, the righteous one, Christ the Lord, is coming. He will “execute justice and righteousness in the land.” As we hear these ancient words of prophecy, we pray that God would “give us grace to cast away the works of darkness.” We keep watch and prepare our hearts for the Lord. But still, the “enemy of our human nature” is “on the prowl.” And so, we ask God to clothe us with the “armor of light.” We pray that, in Jesus, we will find the strength to resist the Evil One, and to shun his works and ways.
Throughout this season of preparation, we repent of our sins against love. In the power of the Holy Spirit, we turn our lives around. Where we are enslaved, we embrace God’s gift of freedom. Where we have chosen evil, we resolve to make better choices. Where evil is done on our behalf, we commit ourselves to work for change.
The word “repent” means a total change of direction—in body, mind, and spirit. It is the same movement we make in Holy Baptism. As we turn to Jesus, his Spirit gives us the strength to leave the “house of bondage.” This movement involves our turning away from sin and death, and turning back to each other.
Advent is a time for new beginnings. Jesus Christ changes our hearts and our priorities. He changes our world and its history. In the end, he changes everything.
In the Epistle appointed for today, Paul prays that God will strengthen our hearts in holiness” so that we may stand blameless before him: “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all (he says).” Beloved, if we open our hearts to Jesus, God will answer this prayer.
God’s love sets the standard for our own love. Jesus commands us to love each other as he loves us. He calls us to love each other “not in word or speech, but in truth and action.” His love not only sets the standard for our love. His love defines God’s very character. God is love without remainder. There is no tension, no contradiction, between his mercy and his truth.
The Lord who comes in glory is the same Lord who visits us “in great humility.” He is the babe of Bethlehem. He is the friend of sinners and the washer of feet. Our Lord is the very same one who lives and dies for all of us.
Advent begins as a small, flickering candle. It ends in God’s great light. Advent begins in dry and thirsty places. It ends in streams of living water. Advent begins in “mournful exile.” It ends in a joyful homecoming.
Throughout the season, we burn with desire for the coming of Christ. When he comes, our desert places burst into bloom. The living God pours out his grace on all of us. He creates peace among nations. He creates peace in families. He reigns with justice and love.
Where do we need God in our lives? Where is the emptiness we have tried to fill with other things and people? Where have other loves and friendships let us down? Where do we need refreshment and new life? Advent is a time to prepare ourselves for God’s arrival, trusting that “the Lord is near.”
For each of us, and for this church we love, there are patterns of sin–habits we need to break, things we need to stop doing, because they are killing us. There is much to celebrate in the life we share. But there is also selfishness, resentment, and apathy–sins against love of every kind. We must pray for strength to shun these things and face the Lord with honesty. How might he breathe new life into us? How might we “abound in love for one another and for all”?
Likewise, in our nation today, and in this town we love, there is fear, greed, and contempt for other people–sins against love of every kind. Here too, we must prepare ourselves to face the coming King. Here too, God calls us to “abound in love.” God is always calling us to “abound in love.”
And so, hear now, beloved, the words of Jesus, the “branch of David” and the “bright morning star”: I will rule the nations with righteousness, and I will judge the peoples with my truth. I will separate the sheep from the goats. I will defend the orphan, the widow, and all strangers in the land–anyone who has no other helper. “Let everyone who is thirsty come (says the Lord). Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.”
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness. Strengthen our hearts, Lord Jesus. And make us more like you. Help us to “abound in love, for one another and for all.”
Amen.