No one has ever accused me of (or complimented me on) being patient. I know it is a widely-admired virtue—it’s just not one of mine. For me, the majority of time, now just feels better than later.
Advent, however, is different.
Advent, however, is special.
During the season of Advent, I don’t mind waiting at all. In fact, I genuinely enjoy it.
Advent is the one time of the year when I enjoy slowing down, when I relish the fullness of every single day. I fully and thoroughly embrace the daily countdown to Christmas. I delight in the anticipation. I savor the moments each new day brings.
I have several Advent devotionals, and I take time out at different points in the day to stop and read, reflect and pray—just for a few minutes. And I have other kinds of Advent calendars, too, all around the house. Every day, I hang little ornaments, open little paper windows, and eat little chocolates. Every day, there is a surprise. Every day, there is a little treat. And I am not eager for these days of Advent to come to an end. I enjoy each day as it comes, and receive it as a gift.
Advent invites me—demands, really—that I turn outward, and be “other-focused.” On God, first and foremost, but then on the other people in my life, too. In Advent, more than any other time of the year, my heart and thoughts are centered on God; and my time and energy are centered on all the tasks of Advent that reinforce and nurture my relationships with loved ones: gift-giving; baking; sending cards. All of these things encourage me to celebrate those I love, and those who love me. It is a hectic time, to be sure, but there is so much I appreciate about all the effort and intention that is spent on thoughtful gestures for other people, showing them I am thinking of them, and that I care about them. And, of course, what a delight it is to be on the receiving end of those gestures as well!
Of course, I love Easter and the celebration of the resurrection, but I have to be honest: for me, my faith is firmly anchored in the incarnation, and all it means for the life of the whole world: love, come down; the divine united with and revealed in the human; the face of the creator of the universe revealed in a baby, gazing with love upon his mother. One birth changes everything, forever.
In the incarnation, everything is transformed. In the incarnation, the entire world is flooded and filled with the loving, redemptive presence of God. In the incarnation, we are forever wrapped in the tender embrace of the God who will not be without us, who chooses to bind us up in the divine life forever in Jesus Christ. Advent allows us the opportunity to ponder that miracle, and to wonder at such love, poured out for us.
I hope you are able to revel in this precious season as well, and fully enjoy these four short weeks that lead us, like a star, to the manger, where Emmanuel, God-with-us, awaits.
Happy Lutheran 