Editor’s Note:  Our thanks to Marvin Padgett for passing this greeting on for the readers of The Aquila Report

For centuries Christians have lived with the hope and expectation of Christ’s eventual reign on earth. They expressed their view and faith publically, grounded on Scripture as it is read each Sunday of the year and throughout the seasons. They followed a liturgical calendar, which started with the four Sundays of Advent to look forward to the coming of God’s Blessed One as a new-born human baby at Christmas, whose “coming forth was from everlasting”. His life’s work was our redemption from guilt and the healing of God’s wounded creation from sin and the power of death.

The readings of the lectionary brought and refreshed to us the events of the life of Jesus the Christ, his work and teaching, his person and the purpose of his coming from texts throughout the Bible, the Scriptures, the Word of God. They cause us to remember and celebrate the Lord’s birth, Life, death and Resurrection and Ascension. They give us a temporal structure from the Incarnation and the Nativity to his substitutionary death on the Cross, followed by his Resurrection, the Ascension, and Pentecost. They encourage our wait now in joyful hope for the Lord’s coming in repeated annual seasons of Advent.

‘Laudate’, ‘Cantate’, ‘Jubilate’ are some of the names of Sundays after Easter and before Pentecost, expressing the joyful praise, song and rejoicing over the good news: sin, guilt and death are conquered and a restored creation is in the works. On Pentecost the LAW of Moses was given and the Holy Spirit was poured out to comfort, teach and console us. For, without law there is no love. On Trinity Sunday we remember that in his Being, rather than as a side show of an occasional mystical act, God is love already since forever in the eternal relationship between the Three Persons of the Godhead.

The final Sunday of the liturgical year is named “Christ the King”. The redemption is only then complete, when the Lord has established His Kingdom also on a still future restored creation. Everything leads to that, and in its promise lies our mandate to celebrate Advent at all times: Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

Let us then wait expectantly for what lies ahead.

Udo W Middelmann

Chalet Les Montaux

Chemin de Jermintin 3

CH 1882 Gryon, Switzerland

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New York, NY 10128

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+1 212 2897856 www.TheSchaefferFoundation.com