2nd Sunday of Advent
One of the simplest human joys is ANTICIPATION. The feeling of looking forward to something good is sometimes just as significant as when we finally experience the good thing itself. In this season of Advent, the Church invites us to pause for a moment of profound and joyous waiting. And it’s not just four weeks of waiting for a really great holiday; in Advent, we are stepping into the deep and desperate suspense of humankind longing for its savior. The prophet Isaiah lived 700 years before Jesus’ birth, yet in our first reading he speaks with sure hope and expectation of the coming Messiah. Ever since the Garden, when sin fractured our union with God and threw the world into chaos, all of humanity hungered and waited for rescue and restoration. All of the Old Testament chronicles prophets and peoples who are waiting for God to restore his kingdom. And in today’s Gospel, John the Baptist announces something truly amazing: the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. It’s happening, the time has come, God is finally visiting his people and restoring what was lost.
This announcement of Jesus’ arrival should be just as earth-shattering and mind blowing to us now as it was for John’s followers long ago. God’s decision to come and save us is just as colossal now as it was on the very night of Jesus’ birth. All of us are broken sinners in need of a savior, and Advent is that hushed, hopeful, mysterious time when we joyfully realize that he is on his way. But John the Baptist isn’t just a benign announcer of good news, he is also a stern herald of warning and preparation. Salvation is at stake. The God of the Universe is walking among us and gathering his people, and we are not meant to just passively wait. This time of Advent is a moment where we should heed John’s warning and prepare as he instructs us: by repenting of our sins, by clearing out the chaff and clutter of our worldly attachments, by bearing good fruit and greeting the coming savior with humility and gratitude. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! In this time of Advent, let’s strive to be worthy heirs of that kingdom.
Jule Coppa, Penn Campus Minister
