Just thought I would share this reflection - a piece I wrote for my community's December newsletter - as we begin to celebrate the holiday seasons and prepare for Advent and the announcement and birth of Christ.
Sisters and brothers, grace to you and peace from God our Creator and the Savior of Humanity Jesus the Christ. Amen.
When I was little, I never really paid all that much attention to Advent. My brothers and I were only concerned about Christmas Eve – about getting our 4pm church service over with so we could return home, rush through dinner, and tear open our presents. My grandparents and parents wanted us to slow down, enjoy our food, and maybe even have us sit through dessert first, but the excitement in our young selves was almost too much to contain.
Now grown up and being an intern pastor en route to ordination, my perspective on this whole season – the beginning of our Church year – has changed. Advent, for me, has become a time of waiting and expectation about what is to come – Advent means literally “to come” – and what is to come is nothing less than the birth and announcement of the Savior of the whole world, Jesus Christ. It’s our human nature, I think, to have a hard time waiting for something to happen. It’s hard to live with anticipation or expectation. We want things now; we don’t wait to wait for things to come. Advent, for me, has become a way and practice to resist that way of thinking. The four weeks of Advent have become a time simply to dwell in the mystery of all that this is – the mystery of Jesus born to Mary, the mystery of Jesus’ work in our world, and how the world often wishes and wants for someone to come and set things right – and, guess what? We have that already fulfilled in Jesus.
As we begin to prepare for Advent, for the season of waiting, expectation, and promise of what is to come, I invite you to take a few moments to simply dwell. Come in early to the sanctuary on Sunday mornings during Advent. Have an extra cup of coffee before beginning your morning routine. Slow down just a bit. Pray, or not. Maybe just sit. Reflect on what the promise of Christ’s birth means for you. Where does the announcement of the Messiah show up and surprise you in your life? What does it mean for you to wait for what is to come? What does this mean for the world around us?
Friends, Advent is an exciting time. I’m overjoyed to be walking through Advent with you and alongside you – in the expectation, promise, and hope of Christ’s birth and announcement as Savior. In waiting for what is to come, we have received the One who forgives us all of our sins, reconciles us to God, and shows us the way of life everlasting. This is set into motion when we hear the words of Gabriel spoken to Mary in the Gospel of Luke, “He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” In the birth of Christ, our sin and death are ultimately defeated. The birth of Christ becomes the start of everything – of our new lives reborn in Jesus, of our relationships with each other, and the full promises of God for life eternal. Christ in God does indeed reign forever.
I’m looking forward to seeing you in worship this month. This is the beginning of it all. Let’s celebrate. I look forward to joining you in waiting and in hope as we see and join in what Christ is doing.
Let us wait in expectation – Christ is coming; the Messiah is near!
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Intern Pastor Dean
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