Monday of the First Week of Advent
But you, O Lord, are a shield about me;
you are my glory, the one who lifts up my head. Psalm 3:3
“Mom, did you see that sign?” my daughter pipes up as we are several hours into a long drive home after spending Thanksgiving with my parents. “No, I missed it,” I reply, curious as to what caught her attention.
“It said, ‘God is not boring!’ ”
“Well, you certainly can’t argue with that.”
For the past couple of days, I have been awakened by a sense of urgency. Advent is upon us and I don’t feel ready. I have braced myself, anticipating being slammed into the season unprepared.
In many ways, I am prepared. The Advent wreath at home is ready, waiting to be lit. Advent calendars have been purchased and sent to our Godchildren. I have a plan to place the candles in our windows that we light during this season. But it is the hopefulness for which I feel ill-equipped. Hope seems to elude me in the early morning hours, how can I enter this season of expectation?
Hey Mom, did you see the sign?
I wish for more signs. I wish for signs of joy for those suffering loss. I wish for signs of rest for the beleaguered, of abundance for the careworn, of kindness for the brokenhearted. I wish for signs of hope.
But the sign is there. God is certainly not boring. God is outrageous. God is inexhaustible. God not only shields me, but lifts up my head when I am unable to muster the energy or will or strength. How extraordinary.
Perhaps it is as simple as that. Perhaps it is as profound as that. It is Advent. A time of waiting for the coming. And Christ is coming. Again. And there is good news to share. Again.
And I choose hope. Again.
copyright © Anne E. Kitch 2013
