Advent is my favorite season. Partly because the liturgical color is blue, and blue is my favorite color. Partly because as a kid I was so excited every Sunday to see another candle get lit, knowing that it brought us closer to Christmas. As I got older I began to appreciate the season for the waiting, and the moments of quiet contemplation that the waiting can bring.
Now, don't get me wrong, I hate waiting. I'm terrible at waiting, at least when it comes to something I'm really excited about. I don't get put out about waiting in lines or waiting at the doctor's office, etc. because those times just give me the opportunity to read whatever book I have on my phone. But waiting for something important or that I really really want? I'm not great at that.
In Advent, though, we get images of Mary waiting, and pondering the words of the angel in her heart. Waiting gives us time to ponder. It gives us time to prepare. We aren't just waiting for Christmas Eve and the joy of opening presents and spending time with family, we're waiting for Christ. We're waiting for the light to shine into our darkness.
We know that light will come, just as we know Advent will give way to Christmas. But the waiting can be hard, especially when the darkness seems so very pervasive. That darkness can take many forms, from depression or anxiety to financial worries, to family issues, to concerns about the state of the world, the list goes on and on, seemingly never-ending.
And so we wait. We wait for the light to shine into that darkness. We watch as more candles are lit each week and the light gets brighter, knowing that the light will get brighter in our own lives as well. We don't wait passively, because we are called to be out in the world, sharing God's love. But we wait in hope and trust, knowing that joy will come in the form of the light of the world. In the form of a baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. In the form of God's love for us made incarnate.
Blessed 4th Sunday of Advent to you.
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