Higher Time
The Rev. Michael Dean Vinson / Advent, 2023, Issue 9
“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.” - Luke 2:1-5
Advent has arrived again, marking both an ending and a new beginning in the Christian life. The Church is the keeper of time, and time is never experienced or understood apart from the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Advent begins in the dead, dark of Winter. A world “taxed” (if you will) from the curse of the fall, a weary and cold place, and without hope. It is into a world taxed by the sins of the flesh, the allurement of the world, and the schemes of the Devil that Christ will be born into on Christmas morning, such a wonderful occasion that the churcChurchbrates the birth of Christ for some twelve days!
The liturgical year continues following the Gospel of Christ by celebrating his circumcision and epiphany or making himself known to the Gentile wisemen. He’s baptized and sent. During Lent we follow him into the wilderness, battling against sin and temptation in preparation to receive the resurrected Lord on Easter Sunday. His ascent from the grave doesn’t stop on Easter but continues upward on Ascension day, as the blessed man enters the gates of heaven. He who ascended gives the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, who descends as fire and gives birth to the Church, the new people of God, and the reversing of Babel. Then, having been given the Spirit, we celebrate the Holy Trinity, the God of our salvation: The Father who wills to save, the Son who comes to die, and the Spirit given for life and godliness. Then, during Trinitytide, the Gospel story of the first half of the year is to be lived out in our lives. In short, time (the days and seasons) is fully experienced within the arc of salvation. Each night, when we go to bed, we’re learning to “fall asleep in the Lord.” And every morning when we awake, “we’re preparing for the resurrection.” The Church is the keeper of time. Therefore, press into the expectancy and hope of Advent. Christ is coming and will come again.
The Rev. Michael Dean Vinson is the Rector of St. Benedict’s Anglican Church in Rockwall Texas.
