ADVENT

Jesus said to his disciples: "Be watchful! Be alert!  You do not know when the time will come."  Mark 13:33

The message on my rearview mirror says the same thing a different way: "Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear."

This is not a warning about the number of shopping days remaining before Christmas, it is a reminder to be alert, for my own well-being.  That is what Advent does; it reminds us to look at the larger picture, to seek a vision of life in a world that is moving fast.  Christ may come to us, but we may miss Christ's visitation.

We are invited to dare to look around us.  We are urged to hope and envision a just and peaceful future for ourselves and for our world.  Jesus, in the above passage, is referring to the Hebrew prophets proclamation that the ?day of the Lord' would bring the goodness and justice of God that would triumph over evil.  This vision has sustained people of faith during the best and most awful of times, sometimes in thanksgiving for glimpses of small triumphs here and now and often, as well, in times contrary to what is seen. 

I offer the following Scripture readings from the lectionary and meditations, one for each week of Advent:

Week 1  Mark 13:33  This is an active week.  Carry around a pen and paper, noting each day the ways you glimpse Christ's coming, even in the midst of the darkness that surrounds us?  When are you tempted to give up hope?  Will you dare to look for glimmers of new life?

Week 2  Isaiah 40: 1   This is a quiet week:  Set aside quiet time each day to read the Scripture and pay particular attention to places of pain, sorrow, or difficulty in your life and in the world.  Let the promises of Isaiah sooth your spirit and rest in its peace. 

Week 3  Isaiah 40: 11  This is a week for sharing:  Call to mind others.  Remember those you love and those far away, in places very different from our own.  Commend them and us to the care of the One who cares for us.

Week 4  Luke 1: 37-38  This is your week:  Spend some time each day pondering one or two changes you are being called to make.  What do you need to do in your life to make your heart and your life a place where new hopes are born and new ways are given life?

May we discover more deeply what God has already done and is doing in our lives, and may we pray for what is to come.

--Rev. Ann H. Franklin