Let the madness begin!

I think there is a reason most people don't take five classes in seminary: it means lots of papers and (gulp) five final exams. In three of the classes, we had midterms so got a pretty good idea of what the expectations are, but in those two classes with no midterms, I've got pages and pages and still more pages of class notes and readings from which I have to somehow decide what's important. This should be interesting.

I'm feeling very relieved today to say that I have completed the last of four final papers. Woohoo! While I miss Tim, I'm glad he was in California this weekend for Davis' adoption ceremony (Gotcha Day) so that I could stay here in my cozy New Haven nest and write. Sadly, I was not able to prove that Arius was not a heretic, but I did conclude that, given the context of his times, he wasn't as far off the rails as his opponents would have us believe. That makes me feel better.

And on top of all of this, it's Advent, my favorite season in the church year. It's a time to get ready, not so much for the craziness that has become Christmas but for the inbreaking of God into the world. We're in that in-between time when Christ has come and just as surely will come again. We had John the Baptist yelling at us from Matthew's gospel this morning - REPENT! What's that? No happy holidays and ho,ho,ho? As a priest friend of mine says, there's a reason you won't find John on any holiday cards. But he is, all the same, a necessary part of this season. Someone's got to break through the madness in our world and get our attention. Repent! Turn around! There is something bigger and better and more enduring than the things we grasp so tightly in our closed fists. What's more important than welcoming the stranger, or feeding the poor, or clothing the cold, or housing the homeless, or caring for the sick, or visiting the prisoner, or loving the mentally ill? What's more important than ridding ourselves of the hate that separates us from our brothers and sisters next door and on the other side of the planet? What's more important than proclaiming that our lives are abundantly full and there is enough for everyone? What's more important than saying that it's time for the killing to stop? What's more important than making sure that all of God's children have the opportunity to grow up in warmth and safety? What's more important than setting a table and saying to all who will listen, "Come, you are welcome here?"

Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!