November 29, 2020 - First Sunday of Advent

Empty Manger Photo Credit: Anita Flowers

November 29, 2020 - HOPE

“Earth’s crammed with Heaven

And every common bush afire with God,

But only he who sees takes off his shoes…”

  Elizabeth Barrett Browning

 Advent, which means “coming,” begins the church year and the first mystery we are asked to engage in is waiting. The days are growing shorter and colder and the nights long.  Along with the natural world, we, as people, are waiting. We wait – for the warmth of the sun to return, for the holidays to “begin,” for the good things in life we imagine.

 Small children say it all the time - “I can’t wait!” Waiting is hard work. We prefer to get on with it. The more life asks us to wait, the more we furrow our brows and anxiously hurry. Advent is about waiting. It is a time to stop, reflect and listen. It’s a time to tell the story.

 When our daughters were small, we were gifted with a wooden nativity set, perfect for little hands. Each year, we carefully placed the wooden créche in a place of honor, usually on the front hall table. At the beginning of Advent, the stable was bare, except for the cow, scattered straw, and an empty manger.  Mary, Joseph and the donkey were beginning their journey to Bethlehem from the bookshelf across the room. The shepherds and sheep were on the piano, waiting for their musical cue to begin the trek to the manger. The wise men and camel were usually in the dining room, because they had much farther to travel. It was a way to tell the story.

 Each week, the figures slowly inched their way closer to the manger, moving from the bookshelf to the desk, atop the TV stand, across the floor. Often other characters joined them on the journey, including a cotillion of Polly Pockets, Lego Star Wars figures, a small plastic Barbie from a McDonald’s Happy Meal, and even a small Santa Claus and reindeer.

 We talked about how Mary and Joseph were feeling on the long journey and what the shepherds were discussing out in the field. We talked about waiting for Christmas - for the birth of the baby. Well, in truth, we often talked more about waiting for Santa and presents. It was a lot of waiting.

 In these days, we are waiting in a different way, as we live through an unexpected time of pandemic. Waiting for a vaccine. Waiting for things to “get back to normal.”  We wait and we hope. We ask to be touched again by what seems to have vanished from our lives. We stop and look around, hoping to recognize the holy in the ordinariness of our lives once again.

 Prayer: May the light of hope shine on our world in this season of darkness. May these days of waiting refresh, replenish and renew our everyday experiences and make these ordinary days extraordinary.

 Anita Flowers is a writer, counselor, and encourager. She loves all things Christmas, especially the twinkly lights.