Advent is a season of waiting and watching – a season that gets lost in these days of the high pressure to buy, buy, buy as we try to buy our way out of a recession. Some people have been saying that we should just give up on Advent. After all, we went from Halloween almost directly to Christmas (at least in the stores and in the media) almost skipping over Thanksgiving. There is a feeling that Advent has old fashioned and meaningless.
I want to make a case for Advent and not only because we need time to hear the background story to Christ’s birth and the prophecies of Christ’s coming again. I think we need Advent now more than ever.
We live in a world now where people are expected to be available 24/7 – all day long, every day. It used to be that only mothers, pastors and family physicians lived that kind of life – and only mothers never got private quiet time in the bathroom. Now with all our technological advances, we can do anything anywhere. It came in handy and I could see the reason behind it when working in disaster response. I was at the high point of the main road of Rocky Mountain National Park when I got called back from vacation to respond to a disaster. To me, that call at least was urgent, and the person that called didn’t know where I was but we’ve gone beyond that.
A couple of years ago, I was out to a nice lunch with one of my children and excused myself to the restroom. While there, I got a call on my cell-phone. “This is not a good time”, I tried to explain. “I’m at a restaurant with other people and right now I’m in the public restroom.” “That’s okay,” they replied and were going to continue with what would be a long, complicated conversation. I had to interrupt and insist that it was not okay with me. What part of ‘in the bathroom’ didn’t they get?
Advent is a time of waiting that invites us to stillness and taking time apart from the craziness of getting ready for Christmas to get our hearts ready for Christ. It is a good time to set aside daily time for quiet that can include devotions and prayer. It doesn’t have to be long or complicated. Even taking time for a quiet cup of your favorite coffee, cocoa or tea is a beginning. Some people find their quiet time early in the morning before the day’s bustle begin. Other people take time at the close of the day, when everyone is tucked in for the night.
Think of Advent as spa-time for the stressed in the Christmas rush with a focus on faith and your spiritual wellbeing. Light one candle this week and take time to pray. Read Luke 3:4-6
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