The season of waiting, watching and wondering is almost upon us. We wait, not only for our annual celebration of Jesus’ birth, but also for his second coming, for the ushering in of the reign of God. We watch for the signs of the second coming, not only the signals that tell us that change is near, but also for the breaking in of the reign of God here on earth, the visible signs of God’s presence among us.
Advent doesn’t call for idle waiting, watching and wondering. Advent is a time for active preparation. We realign ourselves with God. We focus more intently on prayer, devotion, service. Each Sunday we gather around Word and Sacrament, experiencing anew the breaking in of the reign of God.
We are learning our lines, rehearsing our moves, practicing the interactions, so that when Christ comes again, we will be ready to live fully into the reign of God. Soon we will be so familiar with our roles that we live into them seamlessly.
So this Advent, pull together some friends, a few candles, some hot cocoa and prepare with one (or both) of our free Advent resources, A Different Kind of Journey: Advent as a Walk, not a Sprint and Advent: A Season for All Generations.