In November, I started a new series to explore the interplay between endings and beginnings. For many churches in the Western tradition that follow the common church year, the first Sunday in Advent is also the beginning of the new church year. This is when we reset our calendars so to speak. The lectionary starts over with a new cycle of readings. We return to the same pattern of celebrations and holy days that we have seen before.
So the month of November marks an ending of sorts in the life of the church. But it is not the ultimate end. It is really more the end of the beginning of things. There is more to come.
On this first Sunday of the series, we take a look at 1 John 3:1-3 as we look back at those who have come before. We remember the saints that have modeled love and faithfulness for us, that have made it possible for us to do the same for others. We look back as a way of seeing what is to come.
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Calendars can be useful items. Many of us have at least one on the wall at home. Maybe we also keep one online that we access from our computers and phones. My wife, April, also keeps a physical planner that she uses to track some of her work stuff.
We use these calendars to help us keep track of the days and important events. They help us to count time. The things that we place on our calendars tell at least part of our story.
In addition to the calendars that many of us keep, many churches follow a calendar that is similar but not quite in sync with the calendar we use at other times. Through this calendar, we celebrate the important events in the life of Jesus and the life of the church each year. Instead of having months, the church year is broken up into different seasons of varying lengths. Instead of the birthdays and anniversaries that we might celebrate with our families, we celebrate the birthdays and anniversaries of important people or events in the history of our faith.
On the calendars we use in common with most other people, the year starts in January and ends in December. The church year flows a little bit differently. The church year begins with Advent. We start the year anticipating the coming of Christ into the world in the weeks leading up to Christmas. And so, each November, our church year begins to draw to a close.
As people, we sometimes approach endings with a bit of sadness. The end of our 40s before we turn 50 can feel momentous for many people. The ending of schooling can feel bittersweet as graduation draws closer.
At other times we might approach an ending with relief or even happiness. The end of the calendar year is often filled with parties celebrating in anticipation of the new year. The weekend can feel like a relief for those who use it as a break from work.
As we think about these endings, we also begin to recognize that we are in a constant state of endings and beginnings. Our week draws to a close, but then Monday comes around again. Our year draws to a close, but the next day January starts all over again. And the church year is no different. All Saints Day is followed shortly by our celebration of the Reign of Christ, and then it is Advent again. As a song I remember from younger days reminds us, “every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”
But instead of thinking of this as an ending and a new beginning, I prefer to think of it only as the end of the beginning. Jesus’ life came to a close on the cross, but it wasn’t really the end. It was only the end of the beginning. There was still more to come. He returned to continue teaching his disciples for a time. Then that time came to a close, but that wasn’t really the end either. The disciples continued to spread the word and continue the work and teaching that Jesus had started. Eventually, they all died as well. But that also wasn’t really the end. Others stepped in to continue the ministry.
All the way up to today.
As our church year begins to draw to a close, it is not really the end. It is only the end of a beginning. The story continues even as one part of it draws to a close.
As we look back on the life of the big “C” church, we are aware of all of those who made it possible for us to be here today. As we look at the life of our local congregations, the story becomes more personal. The local church is where we have a life. It is a place where we have relationships. We can often personally point to people who made it possible for us to be in the room today.
A few weeks ago, I talked briefly about the example of those who came before us, and I asked you to think about who some of those people were. Who were the people who set an example for you?
Today, many churches lift up the names of some of those people who came before, the people who set an example of love and faith that has made our presence possible. Just as we might theoretically trace the line of saints back through them to those who were an example to them, and so on, all the way back to Jesus, we would do so knowing that we now have a role to play as well. Their time has closed, but it is not the end. It is only the end of one beginning.
As we look at our text today (no, I didn’t forget about it), we are reminded that we do not yet know what is to come. Any time we approach what feels like an ending, we are uncertain of what things will look like on the other side of that ending. John reminds us here that even though we do not know what will come, even though other people will at times fail to recognize who we are just as people failed to recognize who Jesus was, we are still children of God. As God’s children, we are connected to all the others in this world that have ever existed, because we are all children of God, beloved by God and nurtured by one another.
When we come to the Table, as we often do on the first Sunday of the month, we are reminded in word and deed that we are all connected to one another and to all those who have come before. We celebrate all that have come before, even as we remember that it is not an ending, a final thing. It is only the end of the beginning. There is still more to come.
Strengthened by the nourishment we receive here at the Table, we go forth with the knowledge we have received from those who came before. We go forth strengthened by the example they have passed on to us. We go forth to love the world just as we have been loved. We go forth remembering those things that have ended even as we are committed to those things that are yet to come.
As we prepare to come to the Table, we will listen to a song that reflects what those who have come before have meant to us individually and to us as the church. The tune is similar to that of the song we heard last week, but the words this week honor the saints who have come before us, saints who have reflected Christ’s love, saints of strong faith, saints who have worked tirelessly for God’s kingdom.
Saints who have shown us the way to live into the world that is coming into being.