Wandering Through Advent

Advent 1C; Jeremiah 33:14-16; Luke 21:25-36; St. Paul’s Smithfield, NC 11/29/2015 

Over the past few days I’ve been wondering what it might be like to use the labyrinth as a metaphor for the season of Advent.  In fact, my hope for the four Sundays in Advent is that those who wish to do so will use a weekly Advent liturgy for labyrinth walking created by Anglican Priest Sally Welch.  I will be using it on Sunday mornings with the Youth Class at 10:00, and adults are welcome to join in with us. 

Advent reminds us that we are an eternal people in the midst of a mystifying journey, all the while living in a temporal world that is passing away.   In a book on labyrinth walking, author  Lauren Artress suggests that as we walk the labyrinth, we come to understand that we “are not human beings on a spiritual path, but spiritual beings on a human path” (Walking a Sacred Path).  Or, as C.S. Lewis reportedly said, “You don’t have a soul, you are a soul.  You have a body.”

Advent is a time to slow down a bit and pay attention to the journey – a hard thing to do in the midst of the cacophony of sound, and the busyness of the world around us – the busyness of our own hearts.

Advent is meant to be a time of listening for God – a time for preparing to receive the presence of God in our lives.  And I will admit that at times I make the mistake of talking when I should be listening.  Perhaps that happens to you as well.  The first Sunday of Advent rolls around and we’re so busy with the holidays – or so busy with work – or so busy trying to figure out family stuff that so often comes to a head this time of year – we get so busy we forget to listen to one another, we forget to listen to God, and we even forget to listen to our own hearts.  For me, that’s where our labyrinth can come in to play. 

Walking the labyrinth in the quiet of each morning before I sit down at my desk, get on the computer or phone, or meet with someone, gives me the time to pause – to listen – and to reflect.  It’s a time of holiness and a time of wholeness for me.  It might be something God is calling at least some of you to trying during the season.  So, in a nutshell, here’s how I see labyrinth walking as a way of participating in the weekly, and perhaps for some of us daily, rhythm of Advent.

The first week of Advent talks about things that supposedly will happen in the distant future.  The stories of our faith speak of tumultuous times when the Day of the Lord – or the return of Christ will come upon us.  Depending on what liturgical year we are in, we have different visions of cataclysmic endings of the world and of end times.  Year C – the liturgical year we are beginning this morning – has visions in the Gospel of confusion and distress – and visions of Christ returning in great glory. 

But the overall picture we get in Jeremiah, First Thessalonians, and Luke are images of promise even in the midst of the turmoil. 

“The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety” (Jeremiah 33:14-15).  Paul prays, “may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints” (1 Thess. 3:13).  Jesus speaks of our redemption, and tells his disciples that even if heaven and earth were to pass away, his word will not pass away” (Luke 21:28,33), and in that promise we have hope as well.

Whenever we walk the labyrinth we find ourselves at first walking long wide curves out in the distant the edge of the labyrinth.  We know we are headed toward the center – our resting place along the labyrinthian journey.  But the center is still far off, and the end of the journey even further.  The long, wide curves remind us of the journey that will unfold before us.  There will be a time when the turns come more often and each one is a tight turn, bringing with it a complete reversal of direction.  But for now, the journey stretches out before us without haste.  Can we begin our Advent journeys without haste?  Can we begin our journeys without the weight of the world on our shoulders and the busyness of life crashing down upon us?  Are we willing to live with some uncertainty and expectation in our lives – not knowing what comes next, but trusting God to journey with us this Advent?

The journey into the labyrinth is a process of letting go.  This First Sunday of Advent we are invited and challenged to let go of the noisiness and busyness of this world and look to the promise of a new creation centered in our love for God and our love for neighbor.

The second week of Advent John the Baptist will come on the scene and he will call us to make some sharper turns, some 360 degree turns which will quite possibly remind us of what it means to repent – to turn around – to turn back toward God.  We can walk the labyrinth and let go of the brokenness of our world and make a commitment to work for a change to the structures that so often objectify the people of this world.

During the third week of Advent we will move closer to the center circle and the turnings are just as sharp but maybe they feel even sharper because the circle is smaller and we will be reminded of how important it is to find our home in God.  Just as it looks like we’re ready to step into the center of the labyrinth we’re suddenly moving away again.  On this third Sunday we may quite well bristle at hearing John shout out, “You brood of Vipers!  Who warned you to flee the wrath of God?” Hey John, are you talking to me?  He can’t be talking about me, can he? 

He better not be talking about me!  We walk the labyrinth and seek to let go of our own brokenness that separates us from each other and from the love of God in our lives.

Finally the fourth Sunday in Advent will come upon us – this is the Magnificat Sunday, when Mary proclaims her understanding of God's vision for the world – what will one day be called by many “the beatitude Kingdom” – and her son, Jesus, will usher in that kingdom as its king.   We will walk the labyrinth on the fourth Sunday as one way to ready ourselves, a way to ready our souls and bodies, for the coming of the Christ child.  We journey with Mary on that final stage to Bethlehem that we might, with angels and with all the saints of heaven and earth, celebrate the promise of hope in Jesus that we call Christmas.

Advent is meant to remind us that we are eternal people walking a temporal path in a world that is passing away.  We are spiritual beings journeying on a human path.  “You don’t have a soul, you are a soul.”Advent is our opportunity to take time to listen – not just for the angel’s song of good tidings – but take time to listen to God – take time to listen to one another with open hearts – take time to listen to our neighbor with open hearts – and perhaps most importantly, as followers of Jesus, take time to listen with open hearts to those who despair of ever being listened to or heard by anybody.

We are an Advent people – we come to this season with anticipation of a great joy which will be for all people – the advent of Jesus, our Lord and Savior – the advent of our Christmas hearts.