“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” – Luke 2:11
Life is a constant Advent season, especially here in the north. There is continual change and so things are always becoming new. As a result we are continually waiting to become, to discover, to complete, to fulfill. Hope, struggle, fear, expectation and fulfillment are all part of our Advent experience.
I have a good friend who once said to me that I should regularly consider the seasons of the year as seasons of change. Think about it… In the fall the trees lose their leaves, the days grow shorter… it is a season of loss. Then we move into the season of winter. God covers the world with a blanket of snow here in the north. We may think of the cold and the bleakness of the landscape, but God is helping the earth to rest and to be ready for the newness of spring. Spring is a season of new birth and discovery.
In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the pre-Christmas season may you be able to take time to consider and reflect upon fall. Reflect upon the fact that the world is not as just, not as loving, not as whole as we know it can and should be.
However, with the coming of Advent in the church calendar each year we have the wonderful privilege of preparing for the coming of God in the form of a tiny baby. It is this baby who will change our very reason for living. With the coming of Advent and the coming of Christ and his presence among us—as one of us—God gives us reason to live in hope. We have a hope that Christ’s light will shatter the darkness and bring newness to our lives. Thus we can be liberated from our fears and prejudices. We can become aware that we are never alone or abandoned.
It is my deepest prayer that this Advent season be a time for bringing hope, transformation and fulfillment into the Advent of our lives.” Blessings to you and your families this Advent and Christmas season!”
Pastor Dan