 Dear
Saints:
It's
all about hope—Advent
and Christmas, that is.
As
Walt Wangerin puts it,
"God
is coming! God is coming!
All
the element we swim in, this existence,
Echoes
ahead the advent, God is coming!
Can't
you feel it?" |
With
such intense anticipation, we're tempted to put the cart before the
horse. That's what our society does. Already the marketing has begun.
Indeed, it began months ago. But now, it's out in full force.
Christmas propaganda everywhere you look. Already, by means of
background music, it's being pumped into our sub-conscious minds as
we shop. A week before Thanksgiving I found myself exiting Wal-Mart
whistling Angels We Have Heard on High and I felt a twinge of
anger as I thought about how easily I—a
pastor, no less!—can
be manipulated by Wall Street. Before Advent—even
before Thanksgiving!—the
push for Christmas begins.
Popular
America loves Christmas with its pretty colors and sounds. It loves
the warm, fuzzy feeling it offers. It cherishes the ideal of family,
friendship, and laughter it promotes. But it doesn't love Advent. It
doesn't because it wants the hope fulfilled without the waiting—and
that, of course, is what characterizes the season of Advent.
We
have a little dog at home—Molly—a
miniature poodle. She's nine years old now, and I never cease to be
amazed that she approaches every meal as if it will be her last one.
Great anticipation is written all over her when she knows she's about
to get her "dinner" or her "treatie". Her little
ears perk up. She absolutely can't keep here feet still! Her dark
eyes fill with intense expectation. And, her stubby little tail wags
a mile-a-minute.
I
don't know why, but I like to take advantage of this in the morning
when I give her treat to her after she's been out to do her
"duties." She gets a couple of dog biscuits shaped like
bones. To increase her anticipation I'll dig around in the bag for a
few seconds and say, "Now lets' see ... what color are we going
to get?" Then I'll quickly pull one from the bag as I say the
color excitedly.
I
know dogs see in black and white, but that's not the point. The
point is that Molly's anticipation is heightened by my playful delay
tactic; and, it's fun to watch her get excited.
I
don't know how it is for dogs when they have to wait for something
they really want and finally get it. But, I know how it is for me. I
appreciate it that much more.
When
we skip Advent, we also skip the very part of the process that helps
us to appreciate Christmas when it finally does roll around. In
Advent, we're forced to wait. And, because we must wait, our longing
for the fulfillment of our hopes is increased.
St.
Augustine once preached, "Christmas is fast approaching. And
now that Christ has aroused our seasonal expectations, he'll soon
fulfill them all!"
|
May
your Advent and Christmas be a blessed one this year.
May
it be a time of increased expectations.
May
it be a beautifully wrapped package of hope that—
when
finally opened—
will
be for you the gift of all your hopes fulfilled.
May
you receive the gift of Messiah who—
as
one familiar Christmas carol proclaims—
"was
born to save."
May
you experience the Savior this year. |
God
richly bless you this Advent and Christmas!
Grace
and peace,
Pastor
Larry |
