Advent’s Invitation

The stores have already prepared for the season of Christmas. I can only imagine the many hours that managers and staff have put into the creation of an atmosphere–light and sound and purchasing.

The Christian church invites us to spend four weeks pondering the meaning within the celebration we call Christmas. The scriptural readings for the first week of Advent intrigue me. We begin with Paul’s letter to the community of Corinth in which he writes “you possess full knowledge and you can give full expression to it, because in you the evident for the truth of Christ has found confirmation’.

As I have pondered that one line I hear such affirmation that Christ has truly already been born within each of us. But for so many days and weeks of our lives we don’t live that way. Our expressions in this world of ours often mimic the stores. Our focus so often is on the ‘decorations’ the ‘noise’, the ‘brilliance of what we can achieve’. Advent is a reminder to look deeper into the meaning of our lives. Advent is an invitation to listen for that ‘still small voice’ within ourselves and give expression to the Christ within.

St. Paul goes on to tell the Corinthians and us ‘there is no single gift you lack while you wait expectantly for our Lord Jesus Christ’. What amazing confidence he had in the people of Corinth and us as well. We have all it takes to make a difference in our world. Advent is a time to get in touch with that.

Our Advent plea is ‘Come’! And this is a mutual plea as well. God also cries out in our wilderness ‘come’. If we can remain awake, we will hear that cry each day. If we remain awake, we will respond with all our minds, our hearts and souls ‘here I am, I come to do your will’.
May Advent’s invitation find a dwelling place within you this year!