Poetry: Last Advent

Last Advent

There will come a time
When all of this sweet illusion
Will fade away like a dream.
Worlds will collide,
Stars will fall down,
And the sky will roll back,
Revealing reality.

Time will be no more.

Eternity will have penetrated
The cosmos;
Human chaos will end,
And belief will be finalized
Just as people realize
History is over.

Faith will be no more.

A beginning for some;
An ending for many more,
Who could have experienced
The greatest blessing
In the universe,
If they had a little more time
And a little more faith.

The sands of time have gone;
The need for faith is over.

Christ has come again!

Time for a New Advent?

A great discussion is taking place over at the Presbyterian Bloggers site concerning the meaning and colors of the candles in an Advent wreath. During the discussion, I offered the suggestion that we change the colors and re-code to reflect current issues in the world. Here's a rendering of what I came up with:-



The 1st Advent candle is red, representing World AIDS Day and the church's penitence for mistreating HIV/AIDS sufferers in the past.

The 2nd Advent candle is purple, symbolizing Christ's royalty and the centuries of church tradition.

The 3rd candle is pink, representing peace and cancer awareness.

The 4th candle is blue, reminding us of those who find no joy in Christmas because of loss, grief, and depression.

The 5th white candle signifies that Christ is born among us - the Christ who embraced lepers; the Head of the Church; the Healer of the Nations; and the Compassionate Shepherd of us all.