Readings:
Isaiah 2:1-5;
Psalm 122;
Romans 13:11-end;
Matthew 24:36-44

Collect:
Almighty God,
as your kingdom dawns,
turn us from the darkness of sin to the light of holiness,
that we may be ready to meet you
in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

Reflection - O Come, O Come Emmanuel

This is coming Sunday will mark two events in the life of the Church, the first (and slightly less significant) is that it is considered the new year of the church, when the lectionary readings will change from one year to another. The second event which is of greater importance is that it will be 2022 Advent Sunday, the day when we begin the preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ at Christmas. We begin to light the candles, we sing the Advent hymns, we wait, and we prepare for the King who is coming to us at Christmas. 

Advent is a term that the early Church borrowed from the Latin language and Roman culture. In that language, “advenio” meant "coming," or "arrival," for example, the coming of good news, or the arrival of something or someone that is very important. Since that time to the present time, the Church has continued to celebrate Advent over the four Sundays before Christmas day. It is also the beginning of a new liturgical year that should provide a fresh challenge for our spiritual life and worshi

The lessons for each of Advent's four Sundays prepare us for the birth of the Christ Child and the coming of the Messiah, which takes place at Christmas, and also for Christ's Second Coming at the close of the age. In this season of Advent we are called to read Scriptures that exhort us to remain alert and faithful as we await our Lord's return - Scriptures that also teach us how prophets such as Isaiah, kings such as David, and forerunners such as John the Baptist prepared the way for the coming of the Messiah.

We are right at the threshold of another Advent season. Historically, Advent was a period of prayer and fasting when Christians prepare themselves for the coming of Christ as the love of God incarnate. While we may no longer consider it a season for fasting and prayer (like lent),  the challenge remains the same – how do we prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus Christ.

1.  We prepare by being sanctified – to be made holy

Why do we need sanctification? Because it is what God demands. “speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy” - Leviticus 19: 2

Sanctification is the renewal of our fallen nature by the Holy Spirit, we received sanctification through faith in Jesus Christ, whose blood of atonement cleanses us from all unrighteousness; whereby we are not only delivered from the guilt of sin, but we are washed from its pollution, saved from its power, and are enabled, through grace, to love God and to love our neighbour. In its most basic sense, to sanctify something is to set it apart for God's special use and purpose. Therefore, God's people are said to be sanctified because they are set apart for God's special purposes in the world.

To be sanctified is to partake in the divine nature of God which means that that the characteristics of God’s nature become our own – love, forgiveness, mercy, faithfulness. 

2.  We prepare by being separated

The bible states in 2 Corinthians 6:17 - Therefore, "Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord”. However, there is a danger that we may miss the whole point when it is interpreted in the extreme. Separation from the world does not interfere with the natural or civil connections of life. Hence, proper relations are not to be abandoned because they are irreligious. It also does not imply separation from legitimate worldly concerns or physical separation as some Christians have tried doing in the past. To be separated means that we live in the world, but we are not of the world. To be separated means that we do not live by the standard of the world, rather we live by the Standard of God’s kingdom – We love like God (not only those who love us), We forgive (not an eye for an eye), we lead by service (world’s idea of leadership means to be served by others), we give to be rich instead of taking from others to be rich. 

3.  We prepare by being steadfast

Steadfastness is the quality of constant spiritual stability that a Christian chooses to have by remaining firm in his/her beliefs and convictions of Godly principles. Steadfast is defined as resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering or staying the same for a long time and not changing quickly or unexpectedly. Every Christian must resolve in their mind and heart to be immovable away from the life-giving principles of Jesus Christ, we need to be fixed on doing and fulfilling God's will, and obeying His commandments without wavering, even in the midst of trials, opposition, ridicule and temptation. 

In the run up to Christmas, we prepare lists of things to do, lists of things to buy, lists of names for greeting cards, We prepare to decorate our homes, plan Christmas dinner. We anticipate having wonderful Christmas celebration with family and friends; We anticipate the excitement in giving and receiving gifts. However, within the preparation and the anticipation, do we make time for waiting? Waiting in quietness to hear God speak Waiting in wonder to know Christ being re-born in us; Waiting in silence to experience the Holy Spirit enfolding us. Let us prepare, anticipate, and wait during this season of Advent.

Adedayo Adebiyi