Advent is a time of waiting. It is a time when we are called to wait for the coming of the One who will proclaim good news to the poor, bring release to the captives, give sight to the blind, and let the oppressed go free. It is a time when we are to wait for the One who will bring hope, peace, joy and love and who will shine light into the places of pain and injustice in this world.
And yet, we should not wait idly twiddling our thumbs. Rather, we are called to wait expectantly. To wait in preparation for the coming of this baby boy who will soon turn the worldly systems of injustice and oppression upside down. And it is a time when we are to equip ourselves so that we might become followers of this radical justice-proclaimer and peacemaker.
In Advent, we light one more candle each week and watch the light grow in the midst of the world’s suffering. As we do, we are called to not only receive this light, but to shine it so that others might see God’s path toward peace and justice and find their way home.
This message is an excerpt from “Faith reflections: Called to wait expectantly” by Emily Heitzman in the December 2018 issue of Café e-magazine. Today we remember John of Damascus, theologian, and hymnwriter, who died around 749.
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