Advent: A Beginning

This is the first Sunday of Advent and the beginning of the Church year. It's my favourite time of year because it is a time of waiting with hope and expectation. But unlike other kinds of expectations, whether realistic or not, this one comes with a promise and a surety. Christmas does and will come.

Now the expectations in and around "Christmas the season" can pump us up, make us frenzied, and ultimately leave us exhausted, disappointed and even disillusioned. I know many people that sink into a profound depression during this time as they are faced with the myth of what Christmas is purported to be.

But this is precisely why I so long for Advent. It is a time to be still; to listen to the usually silenced inner voice that will tell us what is of true value and who we are in our deepest selves. It is a time when our darkness is driven away by the Light, not because we strive to rid ourselves of it but because it comes in the form of a gift. A gift wrapped in flesh. A gift that says, "you are not alone; I am with you; I am one of you; and, I love you beyond all imagining." This is the gift that never fails to come. This is the gift I long to receive. This is the gift that never disappoints.

Let me share the prayer I read this morning for the first Sunday in Advent:

Merciful and faithful God, you sent your only-begotten Son,

the teacher of truth and the font of reconciliation,

to gather the warring nations of the earth into the peace of your

everlasting reign.

Stir up within us the spirit of joyful expectation,

that, leaving behind the night,

we may run to greet your day as it draws near,

and gladly welcome your Christ wherever he reveals himself.

This fresh beginning I long for Light, pray for peace, and hope in Goodness.