There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. ²⁶People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. ²⁸Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” ²⁹Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees;³⁰as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. ³¹So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. ³²Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. ³³Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. ³⁴“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, ³⁵like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:25-36

One of my favorite movies of all time is A Charlie Brown Christmas.  It’s one of the few Christmas traditions of my childhood that has never lost its magic.  If you have forgotten the show, or never seen it, Charlie Brown is upset because he has not received any Christmas Cards.  He wants to know why there has to be a holiday season that emphasizes the fact that no one likes him.  His friends seem to have lost the true meaning of Christmas.  His sister Sally only wants toys.  She states, “I want what’s coming to me.  All I want is my fair share.”  Charlie Brown laments to his friend Lucy that he likes the different aspects of Christmas, sending cards, getting presents, but the season usually makes him feel depressed – feeling depressed is certainly a common lament during the holiday season.  Lucy suggests that he direct the school Christmas pageant, a job which he accepts.  But directing the school play proves to be a struggle as well.  First Charlie Brown buys that famous Christmas tree – the little scrawny one that, when one ornament is hung on the tree, it bends down completely to the ground.  Charlie’s friends make fun of his tree when he brings it to play practice, to which he shouts, “Isn’t there anyone out there who can tell me what Christmas is all about?”

How many Charlie Browns are out there in the world wondering the same thing – as they drive themselves crazy in the vortex that is the material gift grab that many call Christmas?  Is there anyone out there who can tell us what Christmas is all about?  Perhaps we need to figure out what Advent is all about.  If you think about it, there are four themes to Advent.  The themes include:

Preparation, Expectation, Proclamation, and Revelation.  We prepare for the coming of Christ; We live expecting Christ to come any moment; We proclaim Christ’s coming; and we see Christ revealed in everyone. 

It is in this time and season of Advent that we await the arrival of the promised righteous branch, who comes bringing to us the meaning of life and reveals to us what Christmas is all about.

A few years back, the comic strip the Wizard of Id reminded us what the meaning, the purpose of Christmas was all about.  The jailer heard a cutting sound coming from the jail cell of the Spook.  The jailer inquired about the noise, to which the Spook said that he was “Trimming the Tree.”   The jailer retorted “very funny.”  Then the jailer looked inside the cell.  The Spook had indeed trimmed the Christmas Tree.  Nothing was left but two sticks – one vertical the other horizontal.  It was a cross.  The jailer scolded… “Nice going, you’ve ruined the symbol of Christmas.”

Did he?

Pastor Dave

“The Fourth theme of the Exodus: the rescue of God’s people, achieved in such a way as to make it clear to them that this was an act of special favor and mercy. “Passover” is called that because, on the last night in Egypt, the angel of death, bringing judgment on all the firstborn of Egypt, “passed over” the Israelite houses where a lamb had been sacrificed and its blood daubed on the doorposts. The shared family meal of that night has been repeated ever since.” (“Re-Living the Exodus”,  Simply Jesus,  N. T. Wright, p. 64-65)

Passover was established when G-d rescued His people Israel from Egyptian slavery. After nine plagues did not move the pharaoh to let the Israelites go, G-d sent one final plague that provoked Pharaoh, the king of Egypt to relent temporarily and free the Israelites. This plague, the death of all of Egypt’s firstborn sons, gave only a short window in which to escape; thus, the meal preceding it had to be something that could be eaten in haste. Unleavened bread was essential to the Passover as the people had no time to wait for the dough to rise if they were to get away. The blood of the Passover lamb was also a part of the feast. Though the people did not consume the blood, they did spread it on their door posts so that the angel of death would “pass over” their households. In so doing the Israelites marked themselves off as G-d’s people, saved from divine wrath.

It was during the Passover celebration that Jesus enters Jerusalem in his triumphal entry, which we celebrate on Palm Sunday. The events of that week would end with Jesus being hung on a cross—his blood an expiation for the sins of many. When we partake of the wine in communion, we say in part that “..this cup is the new covenant in his blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sins.” It is in this blood, like the blood of the lamb at Passover, that our sins are forgiven—that we too are marked as G-d’s people, through the blood of Jesus Christ—and we too are saved from Divine Wrath.

Pastor Dave