Pastoral Message + Advent Worship Musings Week of the First Sunday of Advent November 30, 2022
Pastoral Message + Advent Worship Musings
Week of the First Sunday of Advent
November 30, 2022
Dear People of God at Faith-La Fe!
Advent is perhaps my most favorite season of the church year, though I love them all. While most liturgical seasons and festivals have a primary focus on remembering events in history concerning Christ’s life and earthly ministry, Advent in significant measure, while honoring past and present comings of Christ, focuses also on the future and the promise of Christ’s return to usher in the fullness and completion of God’s reign of justice and mercy, peace and well-being for all of creation. Thus, Advent is arguably the only season in the church year that is so thoroughly future-focused. This looking ahead draws me in, as I have always been a future-oriented person. When I was but a freshman in high school, for example, I was already looking at possible colleges to attend….
But the future can fill us with dread. Indeed, the human future often looks grim, given the specter of climate change and other major crises, along with the fact that human nature has never really changed for the better to help us tackle huge, global problems. Our short-sightedness as a species, along with greed, make for a toxic alchemy when it comes to the global problems we need to solve.
But the future which focuses not on the human predicament but on divine promise is a future filled with hopefulness and is not a reality we need to dread or fear. And that, too, is what draws me to Advent, because in my future orientation, I am also an idealist. And my highest ideal is the promise of justice, mercy, peace, and well-being for all of creation! Amen. Come, Lord Jesus, return to us to complete what you began a couple of thousand years ago!
Our liturgy at the nine o’clock hour this past Sunday, Advent One, embodied so much the spirit and mood of Advent. There’s something, first off, about the color blue. While there’s nothing about blue that intrinsically points to hopefulness, still blue is associated with hope, at least in the church. A color change makes for striking evidence of seasonal change. It’s a pick me up, an attention-getter. And it’s beautiful. What a difference in mood a color can make.
Another thing about our worship during Advent is that it occurs during that time of year when the light of days gets shorter in duration until the winter solstice on December 21 (nearly Christmas) after which the days again begin to get longer. While our days get darker during the Advent season, the lights on our evergreen wreath in our worship space grow brighter as we advance from one, to two, to three, to four candles lit. There’s something primal and compelling about the promise of an evergreen wreath and the advancing light of fire to illuminate our dark days and to give us warmth.
The lighting of our Advent wreath on Sunday was accompanied by that lovely choral piece by Marty Haugen offered by the chancel choir which expressed so much of the spirit of Advent: “For you, O Lord, my soul in stillness waits, truly my hope is in you. O Lord of Light, our only hope of glory, your radiance shines in all who look to you; come, light the hearts of all in dark and shadow.” What a compelling, pleading, hopeful prayer in song. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Then cantor and choir accompanied the procession of our liturgical ministers around the whole nave and not just down the center aisle as usual. That procession symbolized for all of us our journey in preparing the way for the Lord’s coming, making his paths straight, a procession that enfolded the entire room and all the people in assembly. During this time of journey around our church, in song, we invited divine light and justice, praying for the fading of sorrow and mourning while we also pleaded for divine mercy – Kyrie Eleison, Lord, have mercy – from the One who is Emmanuel, God with us. So we sing: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Advent worship also features some of the best hymnody of the church year in my opinion. Meditate with me on the spiritual richness of this hymn text as you read along – this is from the English translation of the hymn, “Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying,” which we sang last Sunday as the Hymn of the Day at the 9:00 am service: “Midnight hears the welcome voices, and at the thrilling cry rejoices: ‘Come forth, you maidens! Night is past. The bridegroom comes! Awake; your lamps with gladness take!’ Alleluia! Rise and prepare the feast to share; go, meet the bridegroom, who draws near…. Now come, O Blessed One. Lord Jesus, God’s own Son. Sing hosanna! Oh, hear the call! Come one, come all, and follow to the banquet hall.” This hymn text echoed portions of the Sunday gospel from Matthew, “Keep awake, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42), even as it draws more explicitly from the first half of the parable of the Ten Bridesmaids also in Matthew (25:1-7).
Quite significantly in this hymn text, we hear themes of “bridal mysticism,” a strand in Christian thinking throughout the ages that likens Christ’s relation to us as a bridegroom to the bride, as husband and wife, Christ being the husband, the church being the bride of Christ. Our promised future is like a wedding feast, the heavenly banquet, which will know no end, a foretaste of which we receive in the Eucharist, our messianic banquet hall available to us even now. Most all of us at one time or another have experienced the joy and hopeful promise of wedding banquets. The heavenly one, with Christ as the groom and we as his betrothed, promises to be even more spectacular and off the charts than any human marriage feast we’ve known! Again, we get a taste of that promised future in the meal of bread and wine at Holy Communion. Thus, as we often pray during the Thanksgiving at the Table: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Then there’s the other wonderful Advent hymn, “Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers,” which we sang as the closing hymn this past Sunday at the 9:00 am service. Again, meditate with me as you read this hymn text which also expresses bridal mysticism: “Rejoice, rejoice, believers, and let your lights appear; the evening is advancing, and darker night is near. The bridegroom is arising and soon is drawing nigh. Up, pray and watch and wrestle; at midnight comes the cry…. The marriage feast is waiting; the gates wide open stand. Arise, O heirs of glory; the bridegroom is at hand…. Our hope and expectation, O Jesus, now appear; arise, O Sun so longed for, o’er this benighted sphere. With hearts and hands uplifted, we plead, O Lord, to see the day of earth’s redemption that sets your people free!” This hymn also draws from the Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids in Matthew. But it acknowledges the darkness of the midnight hour, and the burden and fear that can accompany the night. But this magnificent hymn text also points in pleading ways to our hoped-for future with the coming of the Sun/Son of righteousness to shine divine light on our benighted planet as we plead to see the day of earth’s redemption that makes for the freedom of all people. Or in an older translation of this hymn text’s concluding moment, “we plead, O Lord, to see the day of earth’s redemption that brings us home to thee.” Both versions are great, and express Advent hopefulness. Once again, we pray: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
As I write, it strikes me that in this week’s pastoral message, I’ve taken on something of the role of a theater critic, whose analysis of a production you might read in the newspaper. So be it! For liturgical worship is dramatic, after all – but it’s divine drama. As such, I seek here in my musings to illustrate the richness of our liturgical worship from beginning to end. In these comparatively brief paragraphs, I’ve only touched on a fraction of what occurred in our midst for a little over an hour’s time on Sunday. My goal here in offering these Advent reflections on our Sunday worship is to reveal the profundity of what we do on Sunday morning each week, so that your own worship experience, and thus your spiritual life, might be deepened and enriched – for the sake of giving you what you need to do the work that God has entrusted to us all in bringing the hope of Christ to a world enshrouded in the darkness of despair.
Thus, one more time we plead: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
Pastor Jonathan Linman
Pastor’s Office Phone Number: 602-265-5860
Email: pastor@faithalive.com
Announcements
Day for a Lutheran Refresher Course – for All of Us and Prospective New Members
Everyone – and especially those who wish to become members of Faith-La Fe – plan to join us on Saturday, December 10 beginning at 10:00 am for a day of getting reacquainted with the basics of the Lutheran tradition by worshipfully engaging themes of Martin Luther’s Small Catechism (a devotional work that is decidedly NOT just for kids!). Our day will follow the patterns of Sunday worship, and we’ll do together the things that the Small Catechism teaches – remember our baptism, explore in conversation the Ten Commandments and the Creed, pray and deeply engage the Lord’s Prayer, share in Holy Communion, have lunch, blessed by one of Luther’s table prayers, and more. During lunch we’ll have occasion to get to know each other better and share why being a member at Faith-La Fe is so desirable. After lunch, we’ll talk about ministry and mission opportunities and activities on offer at Faith-La Fe. We’ll conclude our time by about 2:30. Again, this is a day for everyone, but also those who feel drawn to join our congregation. Mark your calendars now and plan to attend.
Please RSVP Pastor Linman (in person, via phone, or email – see contact information above) to let him know of your intent to attend this event.
Tamales Sale for the Holidays
Back by popular demand – tamales! Please see the pre-order sign-up sheet in the Narthex. If anyone is interested in helping to make tamales or donate for materials or would like to order via email, please contact Pr. Veronica at pastoradelafe@faithalive.com.
Join Us for Spiritual Enrichment during Advent and Christmas
Wednesday evenings in Advent – Soup Dinner at 6:00 pm with Worship at 7:00
November 30 – St. Andrew, Apostle
December 7 – St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan
December 14 – Advent Lessons and Carols presented by the Chancel Choir
December 21 – La Posadas, with dinner following worship
Saturday, December 10 beginning at 10:00 am – Lutheran Refresher Day for All and for Prospective New Members
Sunday, December 11 at 7:00 pm – Celebrating the Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe
Saturday, December 24 at 7:30 pm (with special prelude music beginning at 7:00 pm) – Christmas Eve Worship in English
Sunday, December 25 at 9:00 am (in English) and 11:00 am (in Spanish) – Worship on Christmas Day
Wednesday, December 28 at 7:00 pm – Observance of “Blue Christmas” also commemorating The Holy Innocents, Martyrs
Friday, January 6 at 7:00 pm – A Casual Social and Prayerful Gathering on the Feast of the Epiphany
Sunday, January 8 at 9:00 am (in English) and 11:00 am (in Spanish) – Baptism of Our Lord and the Sacrament of Holy Baptism
Faith Community Garden – Gardeners Invited!
If any member wants to claim some garden space to grow your own fresh vegetables, please contact Gail Turner (gmturner0123@aol.com) or Jan Hulin (janhulin@cox.net) for details…the gardens are ready!”
Arizona Charitable Giving Tax Credit
A member of Faith/La Fe reminds us that the state of Arizona offers tax credits ($400 for single filers and $800 for joint filers) for charitable contributions to 501 (c)(3) organizations. Here’s a link for further information: lss-sw.org/donate
THRIVENT VOLUNTEERS MARK THANKSGIVING
13 Thrivent volunteers joined forces with Costco to make Thanksgiving a happier holiday for clients of the Mt. of Olives Food Basket by putting the “Meat” in the organizations’ annual “Meatsgiving” Day. On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, we picked up and delivered 117 two pound pork roasts. Normally our $250 Thrivent Action Team grant wouldn’t go that far…but Costco added a $350 gift card. On Wednesday, we packaged the pork roasts with cans of corn and green beans, potatoes, cranberries and cookie dough and distributed them to grateful Mt. of Olives clients. The pork roasts outnumbered the recipients who showed up…so the extras will be distributed throughout the holiday season. Thrivent volunteers who took part include Jennie Carr, Brenda Lund, Paul Bott, John Tomlinson, Fred Cowley, Kathie and Fred Johnson, Diane and Jeff Havir, Laura and Richard Kohring, and Art and Andrea Escoto.