Advent: a truly remarkable time of the year.

In the last years it’s become clear to me that Advent is so much more than what I often experienced during the Christmas rush of the past: buying gifts, trimming a Christmas tree, listening to holiday music, attending parties.

Advent (which comes from the Latin word adventus) means ‘coming’ or ‘arrival.’ So looking at it in that way, we can see it as a season of waiting, expecting, and preparing for the celebration of a profound truth about God – that God loved us so much that God gave us the special gift of the Christ. That thought alone can give us new hope, however faint at times, that God sent his son who showed us a way to live and who ruled with truth, justice, and righteousness. Knowing this, we can feel a sense of joy that it may be possible to have peace and justice in the world.

Advent is also a kind of spiritual exercise for us as we walk on our journey of life. During this season, we often feel a spirit of expectation, of anticipation, of longing for the Presence in our world. Advent can help us affirm that God is and will continue to be present in our world today. That affirmation can also remind us that we are called to be faithful stewards of what is entrusted to us as God’s people, that we have a responsibility to love the Lord our God with all our heart and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Perhaps as we expect and hope for a better, less evil world, we will remember that we too contribute to the problems of the world. If we realize our own responsibility for what we have done to the world, we will want to arm ourselves with prayers of devotion and commitment, prayers for forgiveness, and prayers for all of us who are waiting and anticipating the coming of the light.

Edward Hays wrote in his ‘Psalm of an Advent Ear’:

Quiet me within,
clothe my body in peacefulness,
that your Word once again may take flesh –
this time, within me.

Yes, let us prepare ourselves to receive the gift of Advent.

Oh, God, thank you for sending your son to earth to show us a better way to live. Forgive us our evil doing. Awaken our hearts in this Advent Season and help us guard our hearts against the whirl and craziness of the ‘Holidays.’ Quiet us, so we can hear your voice. May your Word take flesh within us. Amen.

Joy Carol
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