Advent is not an easy time of year for people. Amidst the mad rush to decorate and shop, many people are grieving. As we prepare to hear the good news of Christ's birth, many people are lost in the pain of death. The season of hope is not without its moments of despair.
John the Baptist comes into the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. John calls us to wake up to a reality most of us avoid, except in this season and in the season of Lent. We are all in the wilderness, barely there, barely making it, surviving. We are all temporary, ephemeral. To repent is to change your mind about existential things. you are not in control, nor in charge. You are losing ground. The only one who isn't, is God. A splash of cold water might wake you up to that. Be alert to the nearness of God. We are never nearer to God than at the hour of our death. Isn't that part of this season's message? We never know the day or the hour. It will come like a thief in the night, we are told. Isn't death like that, isn't mortality like that? One minute you're fine, the next minute there's a lump in your breast. One minute you're wrapping gifts, the next minute you're burying someone you love. you may wake up in Advent and wonder if this is all there is to your life?
Te cold truth about December is that all things pass away. The hope of Advent is really quite astounding, because despite a wake up call to that truth, we expect more. We expect to see the light. Maybe more than anything else, the good news of Christmas is that birth is a miracle and a mystery that still brings joy, even when we know that birth is but the beginning of the end...
No comments:
Post a Comment