ADVENT:  4  MESSAGES 

INTRODUCTION

Today - as we begin Advent 2019 - I would like to preach on “Advent: 4 Messages.”

I would like  to touch on 4 points that come out of today’s readings.

I hope they  are right to the point as we begin the season of Advent.

                    1) Wake up.

                    2) Put off.

                    3) Put on.

                    4) They are a Beginnings that Becomes an Ongoing.

1) FIRST POINT: WAKE UP

We all know what it means to hear a knock on our door and we hear the words, “Wake up!”

We all know what it feels like to want to stay in bed, to snuggle up under the covers, especially on a cold morning like this morning and go back to sleep.

We all know what it means to give up, to say inwardly to ourselves, “The hell with it. What’s the use? I’m hiding here or I’m getting out of here and going home and going to go to bed.”

Well, Paul, uses that feeling, that reality, as a metaphor for a basic  teaching in today’s first reading. He simply says to us: “Wake up!”

He says, “It’s time for you to wake up from your sleep!”

We tend to be like the people we heard about in the Book of Genesis - in the time of Noah - that Jesus talks about in today’s gospel - they are unaware that a flood is coming.  They are unaware that they are being robbed of a better life every day.  [Cf. Matthew 24: 37-44.]

George Gurdjieff - the Armenian - Greek - mystic and spiritual teacher often talked about  most of the human race be sleeping. We are all sleepwalkers. We are sleep takers.

He - said humans can keep developing- evolving - from Human # 1 to Human # 7.

Saint Augustine was converted through this second reading for today from St. Paul to the Romans 13: 11-14.

Augustine heard the words, “Take and read.” and he picked up the letter to the Romans and read these words from Paul.

“It is now the hour for you to wake from sleep.”

I once had a job called, “Novice Master.”

Looking back now - years later - I realize my job was to give wake up calls.

I’ve wondered from time to time novices who  were sleep walkers.

Some slept the whole year I had them.  Looking back from a distance, I feel bad that I didn’t challenge them enough.

Eventually most left. And I heard from time to time about some who are still asleep.

So the first big message for advent is simply: “Wake up!”

SECOND MESSAGE: PUT OFF

The second message for Advent is to put off.

We know what it means to put off clothes, put off pajamas or whatever.

Well Paul says, Wake up and put off deeds of darkness. Put off darkness. Put off worrying about the desires of the flesh.

Put off lust, jealousy, quarreling, bickering.

Put it all off.

Let go.

Change.

It’s he purgative way - the Purgative Stage in spirituality.

Empty out.

THIRD MESSAGE: PUT ON

The third point is to put on.

It’s the taking on a new way of doing life.

It’s the Illuminative Stage in spirituality.

It’s the climbing a new mountain as Isaiah tells us in today’s first reading. [Confer Isaiah 3: 1-5]

It’s walking in new paths.

It’s taking on new instructions.

It’s turning in our swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks.

It’s peacemaking  - not war making.

It’s putting on the Lord Jesus Christ and clothing ourselves in light -  clothing ourselves in the Lord Jesus and making no provision for the desires of the flesh.

FOURTH POINT: BEGINNINGS ARE TO BECOME ONGOINGS

Beginnings are easy. It’s the on goings that are tough.

Stick-to-it-tive-ness is sticky, tough stuff.

I don’t know about you, but I find it easy to begin a project.

It’s the conclusions I find tough.

Coming up with a topic and then a title for a sermon is easy - compared to coming up with a sermon - coming up with substance - meat - beef- and then an ending.

We’ve all seen scenes of someone starting a letter or an essay or a story and tossing page after page on the floor.

But to stick to the idea, the paper, the sermon, to the end, to complete the project, now that’s work.

I have had a million and one ideas for sermons. I have less than 10,000 sermons on my computer.

Advent is a time of new beginnings, fresh starts - but it’s only one day - and today is the start of only one new Advent.

But the job is to continue ...

To keep it up..

To finish the task.

JOE DONDERS

In a sermon for the first Sunday of Advent, Joseph Donders gives a good example about all this.

He  went home to Holland. It was Christmas time. He was at this big church. The church was packed for Christmas. An old priest - at this parish said to Joe, “Isn’t it great. They still have faith. Here they are at church.”

Off to the side was an  old sacristan who said, “Yes, great, but four weeks from now, the church will be empty again.”

Beginnings are easy.

And Joe Donders thought about that. He was right. The sacristan was right. He remembered a time when a group of parish workers came to him in Africa.

They said to him, “Hey, we have programs for those who are to be baptized, those who are to make first confession, those who are to make first communion, those who are to make confirmation, those who are to be married, but what about something for those in the middle?”

CONCLUSION

So 4 points today:

1) Wake up.

2) Put off past: sin

3) Put on Christ as our future.

4) Make a beginning and then continue.