‘Our Advent Season’

December 10, 2023

Scriptures: Isaiah 40:1-11

This past Thursday I was invited to, and attended a lunch for area ministers that was put on by the Presbytery. About 25 or so of us gathered at Calvary Presbyterian Church in the heart of Newburgh. There was some initial housekeeping information shared by the Presbytery before lunch, and then after lunch, we gathered in a circle to each share more specifically about our own congregations. The leaders posed two questions which we took turns responding to, and the answers to the first question which was, ‘what is giving you joy right now in your church and church life?’, were quite varied but not all that surprising.

Several mentioned that they were new to their churches and were very appreciative of how much support they were receiving and how much they were excited to be working their way through Advent. I listened for a while as I usually do, wanting to hear how others were addressing the question before I responded.

I started by saying that a long time ago I read and was strongly influenced by a little book titled, ‘The Prayer of Jabez’ by Bruce Wilkerson. Based on a short little passage in First Chronicles Chapter 4, the book speaks of a prayer a man named Jabez uttered, which has become a very personal and daily prayer of my own.

The gist of the prayer is that Jabez is asking God to ‘bless him indeed’, ‘to enlarge his territory’, and to ‘keep him from harm’. That is all he asked for, and the bible verse concludes by saying that God granted him his request in full.

I shared with the other pastors there that I am so greatly blessed, and that this daily prayer has given me the eyes to see, and the wisdom to understand, just how greatly and how frequently our faith journey here in Patterson has been blessed by our God. I told them that I was so grateful to have been able to share those blessings, to tell of them to all of you here, and that in turn you also began to see and understand just how much our story is one of blessing upon blessing upon blessing. And all of this, because we had learned as a church to look with the eyes of our Lord upon all that has happened here over the past several years. Blessings that we continue to receive as we seek to live into the words of Matthew Chapter 25, namely to ‘feed the hungry’ and ‘clothe those in need’, for in doing so we are doing it, ‘as unto the Lord himself’.

And I say this because it seems so often that people do not realize that the Lord truly wants to bless us, and that it is a delight for God whenever we ask on our own behalf, as opposed to only ever asking for something on behalf of someone else. Several others there nodded in agreement as I spoke, but I think I was the only one who was more excited about our everyday life together as a church than I was about sharing the specifics of our journey through Advent. I shared that I really do feel that God answers my own version of Jabez’s prayer, and that I feel so blessed, so often, to be surrounded by all of you who call this place your spiritual home.

That first question was not difficult for the others to respond to. It seemed that as we went around, pretty much everyone had something in their churches for which they were grateful and because of which they felt joyful. The second question however seemed to catch some folks off guard as they were asked to reflect upon and share what was most challenging in their ministry to their congregations, or even just in their personal life at the moment. And I am not sure if it is just easier to share something that is going well, than something that one may be struggling with, but the second half of our conversation together was far more serious and subdued than the first.

The things folks shared were focused both on the church as well as on their personal lives. One of the first to comment lamented the state of the institutional church overall, expressing concern that so many were not making faith a part of their life anymore, and that the church overall was in steep decline in terms of relevance to the larger communities in which they were located. And this, in a time when the needs that the church is supposed to be able to address, are on the rise. This same pastor noted that there were over 600 homeless teens in his own community, located only 20 some miles from here.

Another pastor lamented that so many in her church expected way too much from her. That they were good at pointing out things that could or should be done, but not willing to step up and lend a hand. They were not functioning as a faith community, but rather as a loose organization without the conviction that faith truly is a group effort…a whole group effort! And a group that only works when individual members are given an opportunity to share their varied gifts and are encouraged to do so.

Another pastor from a small church north of us was very quiet as he shared that they finally were being honest regarding the number of active members they had, which was 14, and how they were not sure how to move forward. And lastly, on an intensely personal note one pastor shared that there really wasn’t a part of her life that was not messed up or in crisis at the moment, as she broke down in tears.

And as I listened to all of this and reflected on our own community, I found things I was encouraged about as well as one thing in particular I felt was a challenge before us. I shared with the group that I was not sure at all that the church, both large and small, was adequately prepared for, or was even addressing issues that are looming in the near future.

I told them I was concerned that the church as an institution was not focused sufficiently on all that which is currently besetting society. Issues such as extreme political and social views, deep division and polarization of trusted information sources, concerns related to Artificial Intelligence, and in particular, ‘dis’ or ‘mis’ information. I shared that I did not think we were positioned well as a church, and not at all ready as a society to deal with next year’s election cycle, and all that will come along with it, regardless of the eventual outcomes.

And as I talked I was reminded of a time years ago when a friend told me that my job as a Christian was to ‘Christianize my environment’. And at first I rejected this line of thinking as I felt it was perhaps too limiting…that one needed to be able and open to addressing needs across the whole spectrum of society regardless of how big or how little they might be.

But over time I have come to a different place, mainly due to my experience with all of you here.I have come to a place of feeling that our focus in times such as these truly needs to be on our own little community…that we need to make a real difference in people’s lives right here where we are…that if and when the chips truly are down, and folks are in need of real help or assistance, or even just someone willing to listen, that our presence here may in fact become more important than it ever has been. And that as we live ever more fully into our call to live such that our community prospers and finds hope, faith, and friendship as a result, that we will truly be acting as those ‘new wine skins filled with new wine’, that our Lord spoke of in Matthew Chapter 9 and verse 17. You may remember his words as he said, ‘new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved’.

And as much as I worry that so many will not be ready, will not be prepared for the near future as an American society, I do feel that we here are on the right track, and that the Spirit has been holding us in a ‘Season of Advent’ for some time now….and for that I am deeply grateful.

In our own church, our own shared call, there are so many who quickly and constantly step up and shoulder the responsibility for all the many aspects of what the Spirit is asking of us…I never feel that I have to do everything all on my own.

We also work diligently at what we feel our calling is regarding feeding the hungry, and clothing and providing for those in need around us…which as so many volunteers who put in so many hours can attest, is no small task!

We also are a community that is not concerned about our size…having realized that it is not about the number of faithful individuals you have attending worship, but rather about the strength of the faith in the hearts of those you do have…which by grace is always far more than sufficient to meet the needs placed before us by the Holy Spirit. And so, I was grateful as I left the lunch and drove home…grateful for all of you who are walking along beside me…and grateful to our Lord who so graciously provides all that we need, to do the work we feel called to do.

And I am grateful that we have been in a Season of Advent together for so long now…carefully being prepared by our Good Shepherd to be ready for whatever lies before us. Truly we here  can echo the words of Joshua, when near the end of his life he challenged the Israelites to recommit their lives to the Lord, and affirmed that, ‘As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord’!

Which is not to imply that we are all prepared, or that ‘Advent’ and opening our hearts up to the Lord even more fully is unnecessary, but rather to give thanks for who we are…who we are becoming…and who we will be whenever we are needed…to be a force for good…and a source of hope and peace right here in our own little wonderful,quirky, and challenging community…

…It truly is a fascinating journey wouldn’t you agree…

Let’s carry on…

…amen