“Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
Sunday was the first Sunday in the Advent season. This is the period of waiting before the celebration of Christmas that begins on December 25th. In our hurry to get to Christmas we forget the waiting. The anticipation of Jesus’ birth. I think that has made our celebrations of Christmas a little weak. But we continue to rush around in order to get everything done. I am as guilty as the next person trying to stuff too much into too little time.
And then Advent. These four weeks ask us to pause, slow down, and pay attention. When we don’t pause, we miss out on so much that could potentially take our breath away. The tender smile of a loved one. The joyful laughter of children making mischief and thinking they are getting away with it. The shy glance given to a new love or the banter between a husband and wife who have been married for fifty years. We might miss out on seeing an older couple holding hands or the first snowfall of the season. We might miss seeing the sunrise or sunset or hearing the songs of birds singing as the world wakes up in the morning because of all our rushing distractedness.
In our rushing we also may miss what might end up being last moments. The last time our baby will crawl, the last hug, the last word, the last everything from someone we love before they leave this life and move beyond the veil into the next chapter with God. Advent says to us, stop. Look around. Listen. Pay attention. You are missing out on the best of what life offers.
And so, we are in a season of waiting. A season that says something more wonderful than you could ever conceive is coming soon…Jesus…and with his birth we receive the gift of HOPE.
I pray you find ways to wait, to be still throughout these next few weeks so you can be present to everything that is happening around you.
Peace,
Pastor Beth
Beth's Blog 