Rejoice in the Lord!

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Reflection for the 4th Sunday of Advent, year B1

“Rejoice in the Lord always; I repeat, rejoice! The Lord is near ”

(Phil 4,4-5)

The Advent period is almost over. The last Sunday of the waiting time for the coming of the Savior should serve as a time for summing up, reflecting on how we lived this time, whether we have wasted it, whether we have fallen into the pre-Christmas shopping frenzy and whether we have finally forgotten what this Christmas is all about. With the beginning of the church year, we remember the beginning of the work of salvation that culminated on Good Friday on the cross. This is also how Christmas is connected with the events of that time. In Advent, it is worth asking yourself about the sinful nature of man, where it comes from and why man is not able to fight it in any way. It’s important to ask and keep asking why I need salvation.

Evil, the source of which is of course man with his evil nature, is an obstacle in the relationship between creation and the Creator. This is not an insurmountable obstacle, but it is necessary to recognize yourself as an imperfect being, to admit your sin, which is often not so simple. It is not enough to “tap out” the confession formulas at every service and walk away with a clear conscience. Be humble before God, who is a judge.

Since nothing good comes from us, look for a source from which we can draw, strengthening ourselves to good. Undoubtedly, this source is Christ, and man, by becoming His disciple, allows Him to be filled with goodness. However, as it turns out, following Jesus is not so easy. The path of his steps is the sacrifices and difficulties we encounter every day. What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus? Nothing else but love, because love does not bear bad fruit, although evil authorities try to convince us so.

In my opinion, the real problems of the modern world are not rigged elections, IVF, “gender” or – oh, horror! – partnerships. Today the worst thing is the ubiquitous hatred of one another, the lack of understanding, the lack of dialogue or even conversation. Being so worldly oriented, do we really feel that we are ready to remember the Savior’s coming into the world? I’m afraid that with such an attitude, an empty seat at the table is just an incomprehensible tradition, because “you have to be in your shoes at the wedding”.

Being a Christian is more than a white wafer on Christmas Eve, it is more than a jelly carp and “Home alone Kevin” watched for the nth time. Faith is an individual experience, it is our relationship with God, which we ourselves should shape not for the sake of others, but for the sake of the Gospel. Therefore, one should beware of people and institutions that create our worldview and our conscience, forcing our heads over and over with ideologies that have nothing to do with Christianity.

For Christmas, I would like, above all, time to sit down, stop and experience Christmas as it should be, without thinking about the fact that in these two days you have to go back to work / school. I would like and I wish so from the heart to all readers that we would find the Truth (this capital letter), which would fill us with love and understanding, and that we would often put ourselves on the side of our fellow man whom God has placed on our way. I would not like my text to be perceived as pessimistic, but it is difficult not to focus on holidays, which are governed by consumerism instead of spirituality.

However, for all those for whom Christmas is a great event, for which they have been waiting impatiently while lighting the next candles of the Advent wreath, it will be a joyful holiday, because we are not alone, because we have someone who will intercede for us. It’s the Newborn. Those who did not have time to stop and think – have a few more days. Dear friends, it is worth seeing a different dimension during this holiday and taking advantage of the wind of renewal that comes with the Child.

Once again, I would like to express my best wishes to all that Christ the Lord will renew our lives, pour happiness, smile, love into them, and drive away all hatred forever.

Christos raždajet ’sja! Slavite jeho!

Wojciech Czyszczoń

Lutheran Parish in Krakow