Today marks the beginning of a new year in the church. Today is the beginning of the season of Advent – a time of preparation. On Friday, our culture officially kicked off the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. But here in the church preparing for Christmas is not about making sure that we have the perfect gift for everyone on our lists. Here in the church we have already received the perfect gift.

In his opening to the letter to the Corinthian church, Paul reminds them that they "are not lacking in any spiritual gift as they wait." The Corinthian congregation has received gift on top of gift so that they can sustain themselves as they wait. Likewise, we have received gift upon gift to sustain us as we wait. But what are we waiting for? Contrary to popular belief, we are not waiting for Santa Claus. Advent is not about waiting for unwrapping presents. Advent is about preparing and waiting for Christ to be revealed.

If you read on in 1 Corinthians, you will see that the situation in the church was far from ideal. There were divisions among the members of the church. Some were following other people, others were speaking in tongues and disrupting worship services, and that’s just the beginning. But nevertheless, before he even addresses all the turmoil, Paul thanks God for the Corinthian church. The last line of Paul’s thanksgiving reads, "God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." Even though there are major divisions within the Corinthian church, God continues to be faithful and brings them all together in the fellowship of Christ.

Isn’t that what a lot of the symbols in this sanctuary point to – the fellowship of Christ? At this table, we join together. We break bread together and look forward to the fellowship we will share in Christ’s kingdom. At this table, we are given just a foretaste of the communion and fellowship to come. At this font, we recognize that we have all been called into the fellowship of Christ. In the passage we read from Isaiah, we hear of God being the potter who shapes us, the clay. Before we were known by anyone, God knew us and shaped us. God formed us and called us together into the fellowship of Christ.

We are not made perfect by being washed in the waters of baptism. Goodness knows, one glance through 1 Corinthians will tell you that they were not made perfect through their baptism. But through these waters we are welcomed into the fellowship of Christ. In the waters of baptism, we show outwardly what God has already given us – namely, the gift of grace. Paul tells the Corinthian Christians that they have been given grace from God. This grace isn’t just something that sits on a shelf like some nice knick-knack to look at and gather dust. But the grace that God gives to all of us is empowering. It is by grace that we have been given the gifts we need to sustain us as we wait. It is by grace that we have been welcomed into the fellowship of Christ. And it is by grace that we are empowered and strengthened to walk the road of discipleship.

Christ came among us by being born to a poor family in a dirty stable. As we look forward to and prepare for Christ being revealed to us again, remember that you have already been given the gifts you need to wait upon the Lord. As the Christmas hype gets louder and louder around you, telling about sales and bargain deals for loved ones, take a minute to pause and remember all of us have been called together into the fellowship of Christ – this is the greatest gift we have received.