Advent marks the beginning of our journey
of celebration and contemplation ushering in the coming of the Christ child.
Advent brings a myriad of emotions to the table. We revel in the lights, parties, gift buying,
Christmas traditions, and friends and families spending time together. At the opposite end of the spectrum Christmas
also brings great loneliness, excessive spending, decisions about what to “get”
those we love, changing traditions, and reminders of those we have lost. At the same time, we may also experience
lethargy because we have lost interest in all that Christmas brings.
During Advent we experience how the season began with the fullness of
life, in joy and in sorrow. Remembering
the coming One leads us to a greater understanding of the emotions experienced
by Joseph and Mary, their parents, Elizabeth and Zechariah, King Herod, the
Wise men, the Shepherds, the Hebrew neighbors, and the prophets. During this time we are called to consider
the full range of emotions they felt as they awaited the coming of the Christ
child.
The journey leads us to a time of feasting, and a time of
fasting. As we experience abundance and
scarcity we look to the Spirit to guide us to a greater understanding of
Christmas then and Christmas now.
You are invited on the journey. I encourage you to share your thoughts each day as we learn and grow together deeper in Christ.
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