During the end of 2013 & the beginning of 2014, our daughter and son-in-law were expecting our first grandchild in St Paul, MN. However, for me, this was not a time of waiting but rather a time of understanding and appreciating that we are all alive in God’s gift of time and space. These few months helped reinforce my personal sense of God’s continuity over a longer period of time and in a larger space.
Waiting during Advent is similar for me. It is a time of anticipation, but we are not just waiting for the time to go by quickly so we can get to something we want. We do not need to wait for God to enter our lives on Christmas Day. God is there in Advent, on Christmas Day, after the Christmas season and throughout the year. As we celebrate God’s gift to us on Christmas Day, we are usually focused on family and friends while we commemorate our relationships with gift giving and offering hospitality. It is mostly oriented to the present.
Advent becomes an opportunity to remember loved ones who are separated from us in time and space. It is a time to understand that we are all united in God’s presence. It is this gift of understanding that we are all alive in the widest sense of time and space that can keep us focused on the Advent season without wishing it to pass as quickly as possible in order to get to Christmas.
Don Muller