The Advent season is the first season of the year in the Christian calendar - the cycle of prayer and worship that tells the story of God's purposes in creation, redemption and new creation.
It is a time of watching, a time of waiting and a time of preparation. We watch, wait and prepare ourselves for the Coming of Christ. We watch, wait and prepare for the coming of God's Kingdom. It is both watching, waiting and preparing for Christ's first coming as the incarnate Son of God, Son of Man, Son of David and His second coming as Judge of all.
One theme I find helpful in holding all this together is the theme of God's Kingdom. The kingdom of God was brought in through Jesus Christ and so is present NOW but will be fully revealed and established at His second coming - it is YET TO BE.
We live in the tension of the 'now and not yet'!
Jesus demonstrated in his work on earth that he was bringing in the Kingdom of God. The signs and wonders he performs, the visibility of God's Kingdom amongst us now. I have been struck by Jesus' response to the imprisoned John the Baptist. John wonders (perhaps doubts?) if Jesus is the Messiah, the expected and hoped-for One. John asks if Jesus is the One. Jesus doesn't answer directly. Instead, he tells John's disciples to report back to John, saying, 'Tell him what you hear and see. The deaf hear, the blind see, lepers are cleansed...' (Read it in Matthew 11). What you see! the signs of God's Kingdom are visible.
We can put words to decribe God's Kingdom - you could try writing 5 words that describe it. And as we describe it so we can begin to visualise what we could do, in the power of God's Spirit, to see that kingdom grow in our community, nation and world.
My 5 words are Love, Wholeness, Transformation, Justice, and Inclusive. I'm not saying they are the only words -many others will equally describe God's kingdom. The point is we see God's Kingdom when lives are transfromed, we see God's Kingdom when people find wholeness, whether through physical healing or in the integration of suffering in which they find God's Shalom.
We have at St Luke's a purpose statement that states that we seek to build God'skingdom in this community (and beyond).
We might have more insight now into what that Kingdom looks like.
it is something woth working for, giving your life to. John the Baptist may have wondered whilst he was in prison if he'd given his life for nothing. Had he been the herald of Christ for no purpose? It is in what we see that we find the encouragement and the answer.