I’m not feeling very Advent-y this Advent. I don’t have that sense of anticipation—the expectation that is often present in the weeks leading up to Christmas. I’m not feeling all close and cozy with Jesus or particularly prayerful or joyous or even spiritual. I’m just…here. Slogging. Going through the motions.
I find myself wishing it were Lent instead. Somehow these feelings would seem more acceptable during Lent. Lately, though, I’m beginning to suspect this jaunt into the wilderness is about God’s work in me. “Your grief will turn to joy. (John 16:20, NIV).”
Maybe you’re like me right now. Maybe you’re not seeing Jesus very clearly when it seems like everyone else is. There’s hope. The Lord will see me again, and I will see him, and we will rejoice, Jesus assures us, for no one can take away our joy.
This message is an excerpt from “Maybe you’re not feeling very Advent-y” by Michelle Derusha in the December 2017 issue of Gather magazine. Today we remember John of the Cross, renewer of the church, who died in 1591.
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