Rector's Rambling - 11/25/2012 - Sunday Next Before Advent

This Sunday after Thanksgiving is a bit of a strange one.  Although the Christmas music has been playing on the radio for weeks, decorations up in the stores even longer, and the official shopping madness begun in earnest on Friday, one “regular” thing is missing.

Most years the Sunday after Thanksgiving is also the First Sunday in Advent.  But because Christmas is on a Tuesday this year (we skipped the unenviable Advent IV Sunday morning/Christmas Eve Sunday night because of a leap year), combined with an early date for the 4th Thursday in November for Thanksgiving, we find ourselves finishing Ordinary Time today.

A seminary classmate of mine was called to a small parish in a small rural college town directly out of seminary, with no advantage of a position as an assistant first to help him adjust to parish ministry.  That first Monday after Thanksgiving he called me at my parish where I was serving as an assistant.  “Steve, do you know how most years Advent starts right after Thanksgiving?”  He had started Advent a week early!  His big dilemma was whether to do Advent I again, or do the previous week’s readings out of order.  We decided it would be best to apologize, do the same readings but different hymns, and preach on the other lesson.

I know this year I have the week correct…and today we anticipate the season of anticipation.