Introduction To Advent

Almost Christmas: A Wesleyan Advent Experience Advent Introduction I'm sure many of you have watched the Christmas movie Jingle All The Way starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. In that movie, Arnold attempts to buy his son a Turbo Man for Christmas. But all the stores are sold out of Turbo Man's, and after a day of failed attempts at buying that perfect Christmas present, Arnold resorts to breaking into his neighbor's house just to steal from a kid because of how much he dislikes his neighbor. He breaks in, grabs the present out from under the tree, stuffs it under his coat, and, for the moment, is happy that he finally has his hands on that precious Turbo Man. But, as soon as he leaves the house, Arnold is no more than one step out of the back door when his conscience grabs ahold of his heart. Arnold holds the wrapped gift, stares at it with remorse, and asks himself, "What am I doing? I can't do this!" Of course, there are many lessons that Arnold Schwarzenegger learned while standing there holding that present. Besides don't steal from kids, Arnold learned that gifts don't make Christmas special. Whether you forget to buy someone that perfect present or not, Black Friday should not define Christmas day! Yet, if we're honest, we find ourselves sympathizing with Arnold. We want to please everybody, especially our children. December is usually a frenzy-filled month of gift buying, party planning, and social gathering. But that's not the case this year. And instead of all the madness of gift buying and social gathering, we find ourselves forced to step back and say to ourselves, "What am I doing? I can't do this!" "What am I doing? I can't just go through Advent without checking off all my holiday traditions. I can't just sit by while Christmas is celebrated differently this year. I can't do this! I can't have such a simple Christmas. There has got to be something more in my observance of this season." Well, allow me to tell you, there is. Tell that Arnold Schwarzenegger inside of you to star at whatever it is you're holding onto one more time, because under that tree, there is still a gift that you may not have noticed, and it has your name on it. But notice that it's not next to the "To:" line; It's next to the "From:" line. The gift is not for you. It is supposed to come from you. It's not a gift that you open; it's one you deliver. It's a gift for God, and it is the gift of yourself. It is a gift of your wholehearted, freely given commitment to God, allowing God to shape your life in the way He intends. Just read how many of the characters in the story of Jesus' birth were transformed not by what they received, but by what they surrendered. Zechariah gave up his confusion and disbelief. Joseph gave up his conflicted feelings. Mary surrendered her entire self - mind, heart, and body. The shepherds gave their praise to God. The magi gave their most precious gifts. Over and over again, the Christmas story is about the great lengths God went in drawing near to us and the joyful obedience we are called to offer in return. It is not just about the gifts we give. It's about the gift you become to God and to others. Advent may be celebrated differently this year, but don't allow it to sadden your heart. Instead of being a grumpy Scrooge, learn the lesson he did and transform this Advent into a season of joy and use this time to get closer to God. After all, year after year, we try to be cheerful, practice goodwill, and try to be decent toward others. That's good. We've observed our Christian faith's essential practices, like attending worship (even online) and remembering the Christmas story. That's also good. And you've had a sincere desire to do your best for God. After all, good intentions are better than nothing, right? But if all of that constitutes our observance of Christmas - basic goodness, basic practices, and basic sincerity- then what happens this year when even the basic is gone? Well, John Wesley, the founder of the UMC, would answer you in one word: Almost. You see, on July 25, 1741, John Wesley preached a sermon at St. Mary's Church called "The Almost Christian," in which he described a person who, on the surface, had all the outward appearances of godliness. This person did all the basic things right: practiced decency toward others, attended church, avoided bad behavior, and was sincere in trying to do their best. But Wesley would say that as commendable as that person might be (and wouldn't it be great if everyone was at least that good), they would only be an almost Christian. If all of those good things, or even more, characterize your life, Wesley would stand in front of you, hold a mirror to your soul, and do his best Arnold Schwarzenegger impression forcing you to ask yourself, "What am I doing?" He would say, "Is that all you're doing for God? Doesn't God deserve more? God has given you His Spirit and empowered you to do more than just the basics! God as called you to make an impact for His Kingdom and wants nothing less than your whole heart!" In that same sermon, Wesley calls the followers of Jesus to do more than simply live an "almost" life. He calls them to live an "altogether" life, a life that first, fully loves God. Second, he calls them to fully love others, including those who have wronged us and those we have wronged. Third, he calls them to have a full trust and confidence in God so that faith is not just an exercise, but something that transforms your mind, body, and soul. An "Altogether" Christian is someone who wholeheartedly trusts God and puts that trust into action. It's a much bigger order than just preparing for Christmas. But the good news is that's what Advent is for! Despite all our mixed emotions this year, these 4 weeks of Advent are meant to transform us from merely living an almost kind of life and toward an altogether commitment to Christ. Ultimately, Wesley finished his sermon with a paragraph that summarizes our hope for what Advent should be: "May we all thus experience what it is to be, not almost only; but altogether Christians; being justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus; knowing we have peace with God through Jesus Christ; rejoicing in hope of the glory of God; and having the love of God shed abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Spirit given unto us!" Wesley calls us to experience what an altogether commitment might look like, and that is why I've chosen to preach this this Advent. I hope that this Advent will be more than just acknowledging what this season means, but rather building your spiritual commitment a priority with your entire self: body, mind, and soul. But also notice the language Wesley used in that paragraph. "Knowing that we have peace with God through Jesus Christ. Rejoicing in hope of the glory of God. And having the love of God shed abroad in our hearts." Peace. Hope. Love. Joy. The 4 qualities that we attribute to Advent. And by fully living them, they become the marks of an altogether Christian and an altogether Christmas. So, for the next 4 weeks, we'll explore each of those four words more carefully. And we'll do this not by our own power and strength, but by "the Holy Spirit given unto us." Let's become a gift to God and each other, and even if we can't meet inside these four church walls, let's turn this Almost Christmas into an Altogether Christmas. AMEN 2