Advent 2011
Most evangelical Christian churches have forgotten — or ignored — the traditional Christian liturgical calendar. And yet these same churches happily acknowledge secular celebrations like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day and ANZAC Day (or the national equivalent). Go figure…
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
(Hebrews 12:1)
Christians who ignore the liturgical calendar — which commences each year with the season of Advent — are cutting themselves off from over two thousand years of Christian tradition, thought and worship. Personally, I am not prepared to “go it alone” in my relationship with God and am more than happy to embrace the traditions and contemplations of generations of committed Christians before me. I encourage you to do the same.
Advent is a quiet, contemplative time of waiting for the Light, the Light who came to be the light of the whole human race. The Light through whom we are given life, rescuing us from the great darkness and hopelessness and frenetic rushing of this time. It is a very special season, indeed, linking the historical coming of the promised Messiah, with the coming of Christ into our own hearts, and the coming of Christ again at the end of time. It is a time to dig deeply into ourselves and feed the very essence of our being with the food of new life, renewed faith and enlivened hope.
The liturgical season begins with Advent, a period of intense preparation to understand and accept the three comings of Christ. The first is His historical coming in human weakness and the manifestation of his divinity to the world; the second is His spiritual coming in our inmost being; the third is His final coming at the end of time in His glorified humanity.
(Thomas Keating, “Advent & the Octave of Christmas”)
Further reading on Advent:
Adam
on November 27th, 2011
You posted: Christians who ignore the liturgical calendar — which commences each year with the season of Advent — are cutting themselves off from over two thousand years of Christian tradition, thought and worship.
I enjoyed reading your post and I apologise if I am being pedantic, but liturgical calendars seem to appear around the 4th Century and no doubt coincides with Constantine’s annexing of the church to the state despite the number of particularly positive aspects that came about due to Christendom, which lead to the creeds and doctrine which might have been okay had he not governed these developments in theology. So I feel we need to take these things with a pinch of salt. The church was not meant to be tied in with power.
Adam
on November 27th, 2011
I also wanted to add that the Constantinian shift neutered the Gospel and marginalised Jesus Christ.
rogermorris
on November 27th, 2011
Maybe, but only for a time. Don’t you believe the Holy Spirit is powerful enough to refocus and realign the Church of Christ to the good news of the gospel? This has happened many times over the history of the Church.
rogermorris
on November 27th, 2011
Perhaps, but I would rather observe a 4th Century Christian tradition that glorifies Christ than 20th Century Christian syncretisms that do nothing but glorify the individual.
Adam
on November 27th, 2011
You do make a number of good points, but the Christian past is rich in resources. I can think of Colossians 2:16.
Yes the Holy Spirit does work throughout our weaknesses, but we can see this on the margins of history then we can in the main stream churches.
The creeds were far more concerned about Jesus birth and death then his teachings, here it seems we can see the glorification of the individual, in that all we have to do is just believe forgetting that yes we are saved by grace, but judged by works, how to get to heaven, which I do not think is the point. The Gospel is the Kingdom of Heaven/God is near which means if Rev 22 is anything to go by that God is making His home down here with us.
Most of Christianity is bipolar spirituality in that we look beyond ourselves but do not gave a further thought to others. We are always trying to sell something. There is no sense of community in the church and thus modern Christianity is pharisaic in that Jesus died to free us from the letter of the law but we christians have made new laws (doctrine or creeds) from which we need to be saved .
rajbill santellices
on January 31st, 2012
hi i found this website its very interesting its also a forum for the ofw in this forum you can express your ideas and also your opinions on the said topic just visit this link http://www.ofwforum.com thanks and have a nice day
it has a topic everything about religions.