Thursday, November 30, 2017

Advent is a Time to Wait!

In our preschool chapel time we sing this song:

Advent is a time to wait.
Not yet time to celebrate.
Light the candles one by one
'Til the Advent time is done.
Christmas day will soon be here
Time for joy and time for cheer.

As we enter our Advent time on December 3 it is good to be reminded that for us as Christians we do not enter "Christmas time" yet. It is unfortunate that we can so easily be caught up in the feverish desire of the culture to ignore this waiting time. The decorations for Christmas were up before Thanksgiving Day and stores had already stocked their shelves with Christmas ornaments and wrapping paper way back in October. Who can blame them? For many stores this is the time to make their profits.

But for us we are called to a different way. We are encouraged to remember the reason Christ is coming into the world. That God's desire for peace and love are ignored for fear and hatred; that God's desire for the healing of the universe is ignored for the sake of profit; that we are called to worship God and not false idols. Advent calls us to light a small candle to stave off this darkness.

You see, Advent is a time to remember. A time to remember that all is not right in the world. A time to remember that people are hungry in a country with huge food waste. A time to remember that people are homeless in a country that has enough homes for everyone. A time to remember that the way of God is the way of Jesus.

As you light your candles one by one on your Advent Wreath take time to sit in silence and remember that the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace (John 1:14, 16).  In this knowledge we come to long for true Christmas to come when all will be filled with joy and cheer.