Brief synopsis of the readings: Jeremiah authors our first reading and it’s a comforting reading. He tell us that he will “raise up for David a just shoot; he shall do what is right and just in the land.” He concludes by stating that “The Lord is our justice.” But in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus warns his disciples to be on guard. He warns them to watch “the sun and the moon and the stars” This is clearly a passage where Jesus warns his disciples to be aware of the end of the world and they should watch the night sky to predict that would happen.

I think many of us look on the season of Advent with a certain amount of weariness. Advent begins four weeks before Christmas and ends with Christmas. It’s not designed this way, but it often seems that it falls on the Sunday after Thanksgiving (and more poignantly, Black Friday). And so, after all the family drama and pressure for the perfect Thanksgiving, retailers everywhere drop the hammer on the gas pedal that rockets us toward the family drama and pressure for the perfect Christmas. The malls appear to get ever more crowded, the parking lots smaller, and the desire to give everyone the perfect gift crowds a disproportionate share of our stress.

And then we go to church and are told that Advent means we should carve out time to await the birth of our savior. Really? Carve time out of where?

When I was a child I always thought Lent went on far too long, particularly when I gave up eating candy or whatever. Advent, I fear, is too short. I’m guessing I’m not the only one who gets to the days before Christmas and wonder what happened to Advent. This may well be deep-seated Catholic guilt but I sometimes wonder what Jesus thinks of my time spent at the post office or the hunched over catalogues.

But perhaps that misses the point. Maybe Advent isn’t another activity that competes for our time or one more box to check on our “to do” list.

Our readings for this Sunday are puzzling at best, and perhaps we need to rebalance them a little. The first reading is from Jeremiah, and while he often speaks harsh words of repentance we see the kinder, gentler side of him here. Here he speaks of a God who will restore Israel. But not only that, God will “raise up for David a just shoot; he shall do what is right and just in the land.” Clearly the “just shoot” foreshadows Jesus but I find it interesting that all this activity is God’s and the people need do nothing other than accept the gift of salvation.

I don’t think we read this enough, Alas, I think we put too much emphasis on Luke’s Gospel. Here Jesus is speaking to his disciples in the immediate days before his entrance into Jerusalem where he will arrested and crucified. He warns his disciples to be aware of “signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars” even though other parts of Scripture condemn astrology. “Men will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the earth. The powers in the heavens will be shaken.” Now that gets our attention.

I generally don’t watch the news on TV because they often run stories that devolve into “here’s something to be afraid of (that you previously didn’t know about) that you cannot control.” The new flesh eating bacteria that was found 2,000 miles away from you. Do you really know what’s in your water? Your neighbor’s car may need to be recalled because of defective brakes, but how do you know he’s taken it in?

Here Jesus speaks of looking for “signs of the end of the world” without telling us what to look for. What if we miss a sign because we were in line at Toys R Us getting that “must have” toy? Will I be left out? Excluded?

Fear is a powerful motivator, perhaps too powerful. In these readings fear causes us to focus on the “signs of the end of the world” and ignore most of the rest of the readings, including this: “After that, men will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with great power and glory.” Our only instruction is this: “When these things begin to happen, stand erect and hold you heads high, for your deliverance is near at hand.”

So here’s my suggestion for this Advent: give yourself a break. The stress we place on ourselves is inevitable but let’s try to change our focus. We shop for the “perfect gift” because we are shopping for someone we love and want that person to know that. We send out cards because we want people in our lives to know that we’re still around, still doing what we’re doing and still think about them. Many of the people on my Christmas card list are people I only communicate with at Christmas. I enjoy hearing from them, and even if I don’t, I still pray they are well.

Advent may also give us an opportunity to expand those we care about, those who can benefit from our generosity. A few years before my father retired, he told me about a coworker who was new to the job. He hadn’t built up enough vacation time to travel to his family’s home for Christmas and would be alone on Christmas morning. My father invited him to join us on Christmas morning and he readily accepted. I’ve long since forgotten his name and wouldn’t recognized him if I bumped into him, but I like the fact that we were able to open our home to him and give him a place to be on Christmas.

And finally, when we do these things we are reflecting God’s love for us. Yes, it’s a hectic time, and yes many of us get only Christmas Day from our work. But circling the parking lot countless times looking for a place to park is really an act of love if it allows us to be generous with somebody in our life.

Advent isn’t doing what it’s supposed to do if it makes us more anxious, stressed, or fearful. Advent is doing what it’s supposed to do if it reminds us that God loves us so much that he crashed into our world and resides with us still. If it encourages us to think about those we love and how we wish to express that love. And if it encourages us to expand our circle of those we love, so much the better.

Happy Advent!