Do you fast for Advent?
Food for thought from Fr. Stephen.
Reflection on Exodus 2
Exodus 2 traces the emergence of God’s deliverer from the depths of helplessness to the quiet wilderness of preparation. The chapter moves through three decisive movements. Under Pharaoh’s decree of death for Hebrew baby boys, salvation begins not with an army, but with the quiet courage of women—Moses’ mother Jochebed, his sister Miriam, and Pharaoh’s own daughter. Placed in a small reed basket (*tevah*, the same word used for Noah’s ark), Moses is pulled from the water by the household of the very oppressor seeking his destruction. God works beneath the surface of empire, turning an instrument of slaughter (the Nile) into the cradle of redemption. Moses, grown and aware of his heritage, steps forward to intervene on behalf of his people. Yet he attempts to bring justice through violence, striking down an Egyptian in secret. The result is neither liberation nor unity; his own brethren reject his authority, and Moses flees into the wilderness of Midian as a fugitive. Zeal without ...
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A while back, I posted something in response to hearing clergy colleagues insist that there's nothing penitential about Advent. It's entitled, "Is Advent a Penitential Season?"
I will grant that asking parishioners to fast or do a "Lent like thing" is nearly impossible these days. Secular Christmas begins at Thanksgiving (or these days after Halloween) and goes until December 25, at which point all the Christmas stuff disappears overnight.
I know clergy who honestly have no clue that Christmas is 12 days, only beginning on the 25th of December. I've resigned myself to the de facto truth that Western Christianity has lost the battle of secular Christmas and Advent is basically non-existent for most parishioners in any meaningful sense. I still keep it in common life as best I can, but honestly, it feels like a hopeless cause.
I've resigned myself to the de facto truth that Western Christianity has lost the battle of secular Christmas and Advent is basically non-existent for most parishioners in any meaningful sense.
Sadly, I find myself in the same place on this. It does, indeed, feel like "a hopeless cause." I suppose the best we can do is continue being faithful in the increasingly counter-cultural practices and beliefs of the liturgical/sacramental Anglican way.
Advent is our best season to go head to head with the "Bible Prophecy" and "End Times" churches. When we cave to the secular "Christmas Season," we wind up ignoring these issues and our folks go out and read "Left Behind" books or take up the equally silly "We're Episcopalians, we're too smart to talk about that sort of thing."
The first Sunday after Christmas (rightly called "Christmas Season") gets to the meaning of Christ's birth, with John's prologue and especially 1:14. Of course that tends to be a "low Sunday" attendance-wise. But when we cave to the secular season we wind up with a warm story about a baby upon whom we can project our warmer experiences.
Bless you, good Frs., for keeping up the counter-cultural (e.g. pro-Kingdom) resistance!