It’s December 1st. Is your Christmas shopping all done? Seriously?! Black Friday AND Cyber Monday have both come and gone. You should seriously be all done shopping by now. Get with it.
As children, the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas seems endless. It’s filled with such a feeling of hope and expectation that there’s nothing but excitement and elation leading up to the Big Day {ahem, 12/25}. As a college student, that time always passed quickly for me because I usually trapped myself on the top floor of the library, heavy with so much studying, writing and attempting to do both at the same time. Fueled on Diet Coke and peanut M&Ms, the four weeks between holidays was usually not spent on preparing for the holiday. I merely tried to survive until Christmas break where I could finally unwind and let my parents spoil me with all the Christmas spirit and affection that could pour on me.
But now as a young adult, I find myself looking at my calendar and realizing that there is ZERO time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Though I’m not working, I’m left wondering where all my time is being spent and though I can’t quite pinpoint it yet, I do know it’s filled with family visits, decorating, shopping excursions, my monthly drill weekend, cookie baking, present giving, Christmas card writing and probably so much more that I’m forgetting. I guess I will have to find time to pencil in reflection and preparation to remember the true reason for the season. And so, in my effort to do that and force myself to blog on a more regular basis (weekly, rather than sporadically), I will be doing a four part Advent series between now and Christmas Day. Regardless of whether or not you’re religious, down with JC or are familiar with advent, what I’m doing for myself and hopefully for you is giving us all pause and a moment to remember, reflect and perhaps think about how we can realign our lives to focus on what’s truly right and a priority, rather than the lights, the cookies and the presents.
If you’re unfamiliar with how the Advent ceremony works, you typically have a wreath with five candles (3 purple, 1 pink and 1 white). Some people do it differently, but that’s how I was raised. You read a passage from the Bible, light the appropriate candle and then reflect. When doing the ceremony in church the candle stays lit. But if you’re doing it at home, feel free to blow the candle out so as not to burn your house down {I just had to say it}. Each Sunday there is a common theme that is intertwined with the elements of the Christmas story (you know, JC’s birth). I will say flat out that I’m not a minister, I am not a recognized religious/Bible expert and I am in no means, saying that what I write is LAW. It’s merely my own interpretations and musings on scripture, what I’ve learned in Sunday School for the past 27 years and what I personally believe. Take each week as you see fit and we’ll all get something out of this study. So here goes…..
Week 1: HOPE, Isaiah 64: 1-9 This week’s scripture gives a pretty graphic and hopeful picture of God’s people waiting, heavy with anticipation…asking, begging him to show his face, his mercy and his strength again on them. They are filled with the hope that even though they are dirty, sinister people who were once devout followers, that God can look past their sins and forgive them. I mean, that’s what we all hope for, right?
HOPE. When I think of the word, big, puffy almost marshmallow-like letters float in the sky. Emily Dickinson said, “Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all.” Hope is what gets us through the day, helps us move from one project to the next and survive the obstacles thrown in our way. Last Sunday our pastor asked the kids during children’s church, “What would life be like without hope?.” A little boy blurted out “DEPRESSING!” and he is absolutely right. How boring, bland and uneventful life would be like without it. But I can’t think of hope without thinking about people who really don’t have any hope at all left in them.
Reading, Pennsylvania is one of the poorest cities in America. I believe it’s #2 on the list, but don’t quote me. I read a story in our local paper the other day about a “Secret Santa” who went around town giving $100 bills to strangers who appeared to be down on their luck. This anonymous, yet extremely generous man went into the depths of our city and offered a beacon of hope to those who truly need it as they struggle through life. It’s hard for me to even fathom what that must feel like as I sit here on my brand-new computer, blogging away in a warm, comfortable home, knowing that I have a comfortable life. As we contemplate hope — the hope of people in the scripture that God would show them mercy and redemption and the hope of those struggling this season — my hope is that we can all stop amidst our busy social schedules and offer a glimmer of hope to folks who are truly in need of it. This “Secret Santa” gives me hope that there are still people in our world today who have the guts and the means to truly affect the lives of others truly in need of a helping hand.
Traditional Advent Wreath
nice post! we all need to better keep in mind the “reason for the season”, even if it starts with something as simple as realizing how blessed we are. love you!