Advent I - Perparation

This morning Iglesia Betania and Grace Episcopal Church held our second (or was it our third? I've been traveling too much) joint bilingual service. Padre Jose Diaz preached, moving effortlessly back and forth between English and Spanish. It was about preparation, which, after all, is what Advent is all about. One of the things he noted is that once we are born, we are preparing to die.

Preparing to die, however, is not something we do well in this society. Diana Butler Bass writes in A People's History of Christianity:

[The Rev. Will Willimon, dean of Duke Chapel when she was a graduate student] addressed our fear of death--how we relegate the sick and dying to institutions where we cannot see them. "We beg God for a quick death," he said. "At night. In bed. Unexpected." He drew a contrast. "Not at all like our medieval forebears," he stated. "they prayed for long deaths, to die from cancer or other lengthy diseases. They wanted a protracted death so they might prepare for the end." (p. 117)

It is true that we as a society do not handle death and dying very well. But if, as Padre Juan says, we are preparing to die from the time we are born, what does that mean for us in how we live our lives?

At this afternoon's Open Air Worship, Lois led a discussion on the same readings. We talked about Jesus coming again and how some people believe he is always coming again, that he is in everyone we meet. That would also mean that he is in each of us. If Jesus is in me, what does mean for how I live my life?

Peace,
Jeff