Hope - That is what Advent is about!
I have always loved this season. Ideally it is the quiet anticipation of the birth of Christ. Joey and I naturally shy away from things that can make this time hectic and stressful. We both avoid the mall, and we don't even go crazy with the gift giving.
However, the older I get, the more I see how Advent really is about hope. We lost our first child during Advent, and the only hope I had that year was the hope of the coming Christ and the destruction of death. Hope is what healed.
Last year we were sick during a chunk of Advent, and some of my dear Austrian Advent traditions had to be skipped. In the midst of a sick Advent, I learned of my need and a loving God who came, who will come again, and is deeply involved and interested in the details of my life.
This year Advent is restoring my hope that God is active and moving. This year I have seen ministries struggle with various problems. Honestly, my heart has become a little bitter. I see a lot of stress. I have witnessed friends grieving various losses; including the loss of dreams and the loss of children. And this is also the first Advent I have actually listened to some of our Christmas music with women and children in mind who have been trafficked. I wonder of they scoff.
Last night, as I was driving home, God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen came on the radio. Here is the first verse:
God rest ye merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember, Christ, our Saviour
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy,
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy
Isn't this what Advent is about? We don't have to walk through life with our heads hung in dismay. Why? Because Christ our Savior was born on Christmas Day. This does not negate the grief, the hurt and the evil that I have seen and felt. But it does mean that the story does not end in grief, hurt and evil. We have a Savior who came to save us ALL from Satan's power, even though we were the ones who left. That is indeed news of great comfort and joy. So as the preacher at church said on Sunday, "Lift up your heads! We start the church year by remembering the end of the story. Hope draws near!"
