In the Name of God:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

I went for a walk late Friday afternoon.  As soon as I reached the top of the driveway, a cold, cutting wind hit me, and I knew that the weather had changed.  The sky was low and lead colored, filled with clouds pushed by the wind.  The branches of the bare trees were waving and dry leaves were scuttling across the sidewalks.  It was growing dark and the few cars that passed by me had their headlights on.  I passed only one other walker, who was bundled up for winter, hiding under a hat, withdrawn into her coat.

Even in manicured, suburban West Hartford there was a feeling of barrenness . . . a feeling that everything and everyone was turning in . . . withdrawing.  I thought of Michigan, where I grew up, where the land can seem flat and empty even in the best of weather.  The harvest would be finished now, and the fields are probably bare, wearing only the dried stubble left from the harvested crop.  It’s a time of year that some people find desolate and depressing.

And yet, on my walk, I saw that a few people already have Christmas trees up and glittering in their living rooms.  A couple of houses have Christmas wreaths on their doors.  One of our neighbors, who puts up a huge display of Christmas lights and decorations every year, was hard at work.  One of his garage doors was open and I could see that the parking bay was filled with boxes of lights and decorations being unpacked.  He was standing in the yard untangling a line of blinking lights that looked about a mile long.  I refrained from telling him that it isn’t Christmas yet, and it won’t be for a month.

On the one hand, the wind, the sky, the trees, were telling me one thing.  They were telling me to turn in, not just physically but spiritually . . . to turn inward to prepare for harsh weather and hard times.  And on the other hand, all those Christmas lights and my neighbor were silently telling me to cheer up, to get ready for the party and to have a good time.

As I walked on, I decided that these conflicting messages were perfect for this time of year.

This is the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of a new church year.  It is the time of year when, in church, we hear messages about the end of time . . . about the second coming of Christ . . . about the Final Judgment.  But it is also the time of year when, outside of church, we hear messages of holiday cheer, urging us to buy, buy, buy and not to worry about tomorrow.

These messages seem to be in conflict, but on my walk I decided that this is not a case of either/or, but a case of both/and.

Our readings are reminding us that there WILL be an end of time.  And, despite the end of the Mayan calendar, and the movie 2012, and lots of other contributors to our popular culture, we do NOT know when that end will be.  Maybe 2012, maybe a thousand years from now, maybe this afternoon.  Our scripture readings are asking us if we’re ready . . . they’re telling us to get ready to meet our maker . . . NOW!

Our Bible lessons for this season are reminding us that our faith is a serious one, that our faith involves will and choice, and that our actions have consequences.  These lessons are like the cold, cutting wind that hit me on Friday.  They ask us to consider deeply our failings and sins . . . and then honestly and truly repent of them . . . and sincerely and purposefully amend our lives.  At this time of year the church reminds us that we are in a covenant relationship with God.

In other words, through our baptisms we entered into an agreement with God.  There are two parties in this agreement . . . God and us . . . and we both have obligations.  We often turn to God, demanding that God keep up God’s side of the deal . . . offering us forgiveness, salvation, eternal life.  In fact, we often ask God for a lot of other things as well . . . a new job, good health, the best parking space.  But how often do we really and truly remember and strive to keep up our side of the deal?  That we put God first and foremost in our lives always . . . that we live out the identity given us in baptism of children of God . . . that we strive to imitate Christ and see Christ in all people.

You know, when I was a little boy, some very strict nuns prepared me to make my first confession.  One of them especially terrified me . . . she would swoop down out of nowhere and accuse me of doing all sorts of wicked things that had never even crossed my mind, and in some cases that I had never even heard of before.  Unintentionally, she provided me with an enlightening education in wrongdoing.  Nevertheless, it was drummed into me that I should never, NEVER make my confession unless I REALLY meant it . . . unless I was not only TRULY sorry for whatever I’d done wrong . . . but also TRULY meant never to do it again.  So . . . if I confessed to telling a fib, I should then also intend never, NEVER to lie again.  I was taught that if I ever made my confession without BOTH true regret AND a strong intention never to commit that particular sin again, I was putting my soul in mortal peril.

Whew!  Confession was serious business . . . a scary business.

You can see how all of this could lead to a religion focused on a stern and rather terrifying God . . . a God of judgment and retribution . . . a God of depression and desolation.

HOWEVER, this is not the whole Christian message, is it? . . . not by any means.  Our God is also a God of love and compassion . . . a God of mercy and forgiveness.  Our God loves us so much that when it seemed impossible to save us from ourselves any other way, God came to us as one of us . . . as a human being . . . as Jesus.  God gave God’s very self to us to save us.  The glittering trees and twinkling lights we’re beginning to see everywhere are also part of the message of this season . . . the message of hope. 

I’ve decided that rather than grumbling at all of the early Christmas displays this year, I’m gonna try to use them to remind myself of the Christian message of hope as I travel through this season.  Perhaps you’ll consider joining me.  Yes, Christmas outside of the church in the secular world is hopelessly commercial and trite.  But maybe we can resist the message of buy, buy, buy, while also embracing the message of hope that underlies all the twinkling lights and decorations.

Maybe we can use this season to get ready for Jesus . . . truly ready.  Maybe we can use these coming weeks as a time to consider our own souls deeply and seriously . . . to repent – truly – of our sins . . . and to COMMIT ourselves to change . . . to amendment of life.  Maybe we can get ready to give an accounting of our actions . . . of our lives . . . as if we are about to meet our Lord and Maker.  But maybe we can undertake these preparations NOT in fear and dread . . . but in the joyful hope given us by God’s promises . . . by our covenant with God.  Maybe we can truly repent of our sins believing that we truly will be forgiven.  Maybe we can prepare to meet our Lord and Maker as he comes to us in the form of a tiny, sweet infant.

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