Advent: Preparing for Eternal Happiness By Living in God's Presence Today
Have you ever thought it was ironic during this time of the year that all we hear on TV is "Buy! Buy! Buy! The holidays are near!," while in Church what we hear in our lectionary readings is closer to "Repent! Repent! Repent! The end is near!" Scripture puts forth this striking parallel between the coming of Jesus at Christmas and the end of the world. Why? Because, in a sense, the Incarnation does bring about the destruction of this world and the ushering in of the Kingdom of God. Advent is a time to prepare ourselves to be in God's presence. By entering into the world, God is inaugurating a process of judgment, in which humanity, both in history and today, is called upon to compare itself with the model and matrix of all creation - Jesus Christ. Does this sound anything like judgment day to you? It does to me. At the second coming of Jesus, the truth of all things will be laid bare in the presence of the Risen Savior and we will be jud...