A Purple Onion
We are now at the
beginning of the season of ADVENT. Advent opens the new "Church Year," being
the first of the liturgical seasons. This progression of seasons—Advent,
Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, and Easter (concluding with the Day of
Pentecost)—is known as Sacred Time because this is the telling of how our
redemption through Jesus Christ was accomplished. For the past several
months, we have been in Ordinary Time, not meaning "routine" but in the
sense that those Sundays after Pentecost are numbered successively (from
ordinal—a specified sequence). The Sundays after Pentecost are part of the
liturgical year, but they are NOT (properly speaking) a "Church season" in
the way that Advent, Easter, etc. are. I feel that it is quite important to
keep this distinction between Sacred Time and Ordinary Time for two reasons:
(1) to bring greater emphasis to the distinctive purpose of each one of the
proper liturgical seasons; and (2) to bring better focus upon the single,
cohesive story that is told from Advent 1until the Day of Pentecost.
One of the ways that we keep these distinctions at All Saints' is to make
changes to the liturgical routine. Have you noticed? We say the Psalm during
Ordinary Time, but we sing it from Advent through the Day of Pentecost. I
don't chant at the Eucharistic Prayer for the Sundays after Pentecost, but I
chant during Christmas, at Epiphany, and for every Sunday of the Easter
season. During Lent, the processions are simplified, entering from the side
and not using the center aisle at all I encourage all to kneel for prayer
throughout Lent, and then I encourage all to stand for prayer throughout
Easter. There are several other differences (some quite subtle) and all of
them are meant to underscore the particular purpose and personality of
what's going on in the liturgical calendar at any given time. You'll note
several changes to our liturgical approach for the Sundays of Advent. I'm
absolutely convinced that we are shaped—both consciously and
unconsciously—by such things.
Advent is a tough case! To begin with, the Church has to work hard to
observe Advent with integrity, not selling-out to the instant gratification
of the secular culture's holiday season, which is at cross-purposes with
Advent's message. It is telling that we have to keep reminding ourselves
that Advent is not Christmas! In our culture's most exuberant, hustle-bustle
time of year. Advent is a quiet, introverted time calling for waiting and
reflection. In the most sentimental time of year. Advent is not at all
sentimental—in fact, it has quite a sharp edge to it! And when culture is
stringing lights everywhere inside and out. Advent's dark liturgical color
shows that this Church season accepts and mirrors this time of year when the
days are shortest, knowing that this darkness should be embraced and entered
rather than contradicted.
In addition to all of that. Advent presents other challenges to our
Christian life and worship. To me, this is the most complex of all of the
Church seasons. The reason for this is that Advent has several layers to it
[you were wondering about that "purple onion" title, weren't you?!]. These
four weeks interweave themes of future, present, and past and each one has
to be addressed: (1) the Second Coming of Christ [1st Sunday—this is always
the first theme of Advent], (2) our own waiting and preparation for Christ
in life and our experience of Him [2nd and 3rd Sundays re: John the
Baptist]; and (3) the account of the annunciation of Jesus' birth to Mary
and Joseph [4th Sunday]. That's a lot to pack into a relatively short period
of time, and it takes real discipline for us to develop and keep a focus on
the very different thing the Church is doing at this time of year. That
disciplined focus is exactly what the liturgy is intended to help you find,
through its Scriptures, the words to the hymns, in ritual, in the content of
the prayers, in the liturgy's inwardness and restraint.
My hope and prayer is that we will all know this wondrous time for
everything that it is. I pray that you will find that Advent is so much more
than "getting ready for Christmas." We are preparing to meet Christ—who was,
and is, and is to come.
Faithfully,
Shannon +
