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9 December 2018                   Second Sunday of Advent Year C

THE DAY OF CHRIST

“Wait till your father gets back” is a dire threat that has rung in the ears of many a naughty child. What will happen when the other parent returns home? Will it all end in tears?

Some Christians talk about Advent and the Day of Christ as if it were like a looming menace that hangs over the Church and the world. Their prayers and hymns are full of apocalyptic references to the end of times and their preaching is geared to frightening people into moral change in order to stave off a vengeful judgement.

If we buy into this way of thinking it’s easy to end up either terrified or presuming that we’re on the side of the good and everyone else is “going to get it” when Christ comes again. So we either shrivel as Christians or we have a sense of smugness about what is going to happen at the second coming. We’ll be alright but they’ll get it in the neck…

If Advent is a season of joy then it’s because we are waiting for our God to come not to condemn us but to set us free. Christ will come as a liberator not a dogcatcher. If Jesus reveals the type of God that we have, then why should we be afraid when he comes to take us to that same God?

Our Advent liturgy encourages us to be joyful in our celebration. We can hardly sing “Come, Lord Jesus” if we think we are ushering in an execution! But at the same time we are not Christian Cheshire cats or professing Polyannas whose worship is removed from real life.

Celebrating the joy of Advent only takes place authentically when we are doing all in our power to make God’s kingdom a reality in our lives. That’s why St Paul today urges the Philippians to keep trying to become pure and blameless in preparation for the Day of Christ.Joyful active preparation for the Day of Christ produces genuine worship. Anything else is Advent idolatry.

Jerusalem, take off your dress of sorrow and distress, put on the beauty of the glory of God for ever.                                                                                                          (Baruch 5: 1)