November 27-28, 2010
First Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 2:1-5
Romans 13:11-14
Matthew 24:37-44
The recent aromas of roasting turkey, stuffing or baking pies enticed many a drooling soul to over-indulge throughout these last few days…only to awaken the following morning with renewed hunger and thirst. Many a corporate ladder-climber has experienced the empty sensation of arriving at the long-sought position…only to feel just as empty as before. If the titillating sexual scandals of this year have shown anything it is that sating our mortal lusts usually leave us just as empty and unfulfilled. Even the desperate electoral response of our citizenry flailing about for quick fixes and answers has yet to provide the desired economic upturn. And so, on this First Sunday of Advent we arrive at the start of a NEW Liturgical Year, a Liturgical Year in which the Church once again puts forth the best hope for humanity: Jesus of Nazareth. Recognizing that we have sought our satisfaction far and wide and have continually come up short, this Advent we are invited to try something NEW…Jesus. Plain old Jesus; the same Jesus to whom our grandparents prayed throughout the Great Depression, the same Jesus that soldiers invoked as they prepared to storm the beaches of Normandy, the same Jesus that first-responders invoked as they manually clawed at the rubble of the Twin Towers…Jesus of Nazareth. With the dawning of a new year we begin again reciting the story of Jesus, awakening within ourselves the hunger for something that lasts, that truly satisfies. Knowing our best efforts throughout this past year have frequently left us empty, exhausted and despairing; this year offers us a fresh start with our hearts set on the person of Jesus as the source/font of wholeness. Not a devotional image or complicated routine of memorized prayer, the Church invites us to utter the first words of a tentative conversation and begin building a relationship that will endure even when the calamities of life befall us. This weekend a solitary candle is lit…but the NEW light is beginning to shine. With each passing week lights will be added, hopefully symbolizing our increasing ease and comfort in conversing with Jesus…starting something fresh, something that will last…something that will satisfy like nothing else can. The old year is gone…the new lies before us…with Jesus by our side…no matter what the year brings…we will thrive!
Welcome to the New Year of Faith and opportunity! Welcome as well to Corpus Christi as we gather for prayer and worship. The trappings of Thanksgiving are gone, the path of Advent directs us to Christmas and the schedule of upcoming events are listed in the Bulletin, please make sure you take a copy with you when you depart. Our Bootstraps Ministry (providing funding for our HAVEN/JAMs Youth Ministries) is accepting advance orders for Christmas Tamales…order forms are on the Concierge Shelves. As you finish digesting your Thanksgiving feast and start to hang your Christmas decorations, remember, you are loved.
FKB
