This is the first of the four Sundays of Advent. It is part of the beginning of the church year. Often we think in practical terms of the church’s year starting at summer’s end and the beginning of the school year. This is good for practical planning, but officially the church year starts with All Saints Day on November First. Not to long after that we begin Advent. This is a season of anticipation. It is the start of all the wonders of Christmas and Easter. We look again with anticipation as we remember the coming of the Messiah. “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, born to set the people free…” We get caught up in the pageantry and nostalgia of the season, but we still remember why it is so meaningful. The sending of Christ into our world is the magnificent expression of the Heavenly Father’s love. So in honor of that great love we express our love to those around us. At least for a season we greet each other and are on our most polite behavior- at least most of the season. Perhaps we sense even in our customary Christmas celebrations that something deeper and more profound than mere decoration is going on. We are anticipating a new year. Could this be the year that more and better peace might be realized? Could this be the year in which we recover politeness and the reset on what it should be based? Is this the year that violence might decrease and gentleness reigns supreme? Is this the year that we learn to get along together? That we have hope and anticipation? Even if we realize that our ideal hopes may not be realized we believe that this year can be better by the grace of God.