We give thanks to God for beginning the season of Advent with our preschool in operation. The initial announce was for the opening of schools on October 11, but then the date was changed to October 25. The preschool was open on a limited basis from late October through most of November, with the children divided into four groups attending at different hours on different days.
The ball really got rolling on Monday, November 23, with a prayer service for preschool students and their families. The first reading was from Psalm 111:10
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who obey His commandments have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!”
The first words of this verse constitute the motto of the University of the Andes in Mérida, Venezuela, and our educational center as well. In the Small Catechism of Doctor Martin Luther, the explanation of each of the 10 Commandments begins like this: "We must fear and love God ..." Why should we fear God? First, by the power of him. Natural forces such as hurricanes, earthquakes or volcanoes are beyond our control, yet God is more powerful than them. Only by his Word, God destroyed the world by flood, but by the same Word, he created heaven and earth. We sinners too must fear God for his perfect justice by whose standard we are condemned.
Why should we love God? Moses in the book of Deuteronomy 6: 5 and our Lord Jesus Christ affirmed it in Matthew 22:37 and Mark 12:30, that the fulfillment of the first table of the Law, God's will for us to live as his children, is "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength." This is the main commandment, and the second is similar: You shall love your neighbor as yourself " (Leviticus 19:18).
The second lesson was Ephesians 6:1-4.
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother (this is the first commandment with a promise), that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
The second table of the Law, which governs our relationships with other human beings begins with our vocation as children and then as parents. In the family it is the formation of our attitude towards the authorities. The first authority figures in our lives are our parents. Our relationship with them determines our relationships with teachers at school, high school, and university; with the civil government; and finally not only with God's representatives in this world, but also with God himself. Therefore, children should learn the 10 Commandments, the moral law, at home and at school. Because education is not only knowledge, but also the formation of values and character.
The Gospel lesson was Luke 18:15-17.
“And they also brought the children to him to touch them; but when the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus, calling them, said: "Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for of such is the kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a child, will not enter it."
The fulfillment of the moral law is the love of God and our neighbor, but, in truth, only one fulfilled this law perfectly, our Lord Jesus Christ. Not only in his innocent life, but also in his death on the cross he paid the debt of our sins. In Christ, God the almighty Father loved us first, and because of this perfect love and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can love God and our neighbor. In holy baptism the Spirit turns us into redeemed children of God. So, we do not know God as an angry Judge, but as our heavenly Father and we can pray the Our Father, the prayer that the Lord taught his disciples (Matthew 6: 9-13; Luke 11: 2-4) And when Jesus He told them, "He who does not receive the kingdom of God as a child will not enter it", it is not only an argument for the baptism of children, also for adults, in baptism and later, not to trust their own understanding, but submit to the will of God and seek the welfare of others. We confess the Apostolic Creed to reaffirm our baptismal faith, in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The prayer service was followed by games in the street.
A crown of candles, not thorns
On November 28, the first Sunday of Advent, we put out the blue paraments and lit the first candle of the Advent wreath. The reason for the season of Advent is preparing to celebrate the birth of the Christ. For many years, Advent was thought of as a time for repentance, fasting and prayer, much like Lent, but in anticipation of the Incarnation, rather than the Resurrection. So often churches use purple as the liturgical color of both Advent and Lent. Purple was a royal color in antiquity and, as part of their mockery, the Roman soldiers clothed Jesus in a purple or scarlet (reddish-purple) cloak and crowned him with thorns (Matthew 27:28-29; Mark 15:17; John 19:2).
Blue also is a royal color, especially the deep, rich shade known as “royal blue” which is very close on the spectrum to purple. The use of blue as an alternative liturgical color for Advent has its roots in Sweden, England and Spain. Advent blue is thought of as the color of the sky just before the first rays of dawn appear on the horizon.
The Advent wreath is called “la corona de Adviento” or “Advent crown” in Spanish, which reminds one of the crown of thorns. But the wreath or crown of Advent, since its origins in Germany, always been a circle of evergreen branches and candles. The circle also recalls the infinite mercy of the triune God that has no beginning and no end. The green branches signify the new life in Jesus Christ. The four candles represent the four Sundays of Advent. One of the candles is lit on the first Sunday of Advent, then a new candle every Sunday until the last Sunday with all of them lit. Many times the color of the third candle is pink, because its Sunday is the midpoint of the season. A white candle inside the circle that is lit on Christmas Eve to symbolize the light of Christ in this world.
And, of course, we set out the Nativity scene, or pesebre, as it is known in Venezuela. In the 13th Century, Francis of Asissi put together what we would call today a living Nativity scene. People began making models of this scene for their homes with figures of wood or clay. This custom spread from Italy throughout Europe, but particularly gained a foothold in Spain. From there it spread to Spain’s colonies in the Americas. We follow the Venezuelan practice of not placing the Christ Child in the scene until Christmas Eve.
Pray for Venezuela
We also give thanks that on November 21, nationwide gubernatorial and municipal elections were carried out with no violent repercussions. Only the results of the governor’s race in our state of Barinas were disputed. Meanwhile, according to a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report, Venezuela is second only to Haiti as the Latin American country with the highest percentage of hungry people. Haiti and other French-speaking nations of the Caribbean are considered part of Latin America because French, like Spanish and Portuguese (spoken in Brazil) are Romance (“Romanish”) languages derived from Latin dialects.
Lord God, make Advent a blessing to us as we prepare our hearts to welcome the Christ Child anew. Amen.
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