we rise to set aginst the darkness,
the terror of our times and the
shadows of our personal lives
the glory of Your love made plain
in Christ.
May our lives point the way
to him who points with all his life
to you and
to Your lordship over all creation.
Amen!
--anonymous
Sunday we begin the Advent journey again. I love this season of the year. As the days are shorter, darkness comes early. As the wind begins to blow and the trees lose their leaves and winter is here before we know it--Advent always come.
Advent is expectation—it is getting ready. It is reading those old texts about the moon turning to blood and the end of the world coming and virgins scurrying around for oil for their lamps. It reminds me, really that it is time to get ready for something momentous is going to occur.
This year I am going to post a devotional every day during this Advent season which begins Sunday. Why and I doing this? It gives me a chance to look at the lectionary texts and ponder the mystery. If you decide to join me maybe something in the text or the season or even the silence will touch something deep within you and this holy season might just become the holiest you have ever seen.
Do you need an Advent as much as I do? Politics in Washington is maddening. I thought the Republicans for the last two years have been very poor losers. (Maybe we all are.) But since this mid-term election it seems like the Republicans are poor winners too. (Maybe we all are.) The war in Iraq is dwindling down but our boys and girls still come home in boxes. We keep being told that we must push the timetable for the Afghanistan conflict further into the future. The longest war looks like will be much longer. My computer helper this week was from Haiti. He was most helpful. “How are things there?” “We’re still having a terrible time.” He talked about how hard it was. When you put a voice with a place of great suffering it changes the picture. So many places in our world people are suffering.
Someone down the street just packed up and left their house abandoned. They couldn’t make the payments. We all know somebody that needs a job and can’t seem to find one. To date the politicians refuse to extend the unemployment benefits for another nine months—while determined to give a tax break to the wealthiest in the country. Does this compute?
Christmas first came to those with little means. A poor mother and father. A mute priest and his wife. Innkeepers who tried to eke out a living and Shepherds—not exactly candidates for tax breaks. It was a world where Rome ruled and injustice was everywhere. This was the setting for that first Christmas.
As the Advent hymn goes:
“ Come, Thou long expected Jesus, Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us; Let us find our rest in Thee.”
Join me every day this advent if you wish. May the dayspring on High visit us one and all.
(The beautiful angel pictured above is over one of the doors of St. Mary’s of the Highlands, Birmingham, Alabama. You may not be able to make out the message the angel bring. But it reads: Do not fear.)
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