Newness is something I’m holding onto this Advent. Theologically, we are searching for ways that God’s love continues to break into the world in new ways. More personally, I’m looking for new energy, new opportunities for justice in my community, and new stories of peace in war-torn regions of the world.
It’s so refreshing to set our minds on something new – especially when some things in our lives seem to be falling apart. The longer we wait, the more difficult it is to believe that God is actively doing new things around us.
Perhaps Advent can be a time when we accept that we cannot control everything that happens in our lives. It can be a time when we open our eyes to the different ways God pops up in the world around us. It can be a time when we pray for newness and perceive glimpses of new things appearing around us.
Buy new tires. Try something new for breakfast. Make a new friend. Dream about a new adventure. Embrace the little things that remind us how it feels for God to show up where and when we least expect it.
This message is excerpted from “New” by Josh Kestner in the December 2023 Café online magazine. Today we commemorate Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, 397
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