The Fourth Sunday of Advent
For your love is before my eyes;
I have walked faithfully with you.
Psalm 26:3
We gather as a family to decorate our tree, and I am enjoying the ritual of rediscovering treasures as we unwrap the decorations. I hand my daughter the handmade ornament with a photo of her and the friend she has had since age two. The picture brings into the room the tangible power of a long-standing friendship. Not only of my daughter and the young man that boy has become, but also of our families, and in particular his mother and me. I think of the gift of a friendship that is almost twenty years strong, and of the numerous ways we have walked together, apart, in tandem, in benign neglect, in solidarity, in love.
It occurs to me that faithful walking is not the same thing as perfect fulfillment. Faithfulness includes striving and forgiveness and acceptance and renewal.
A new ornament adorns our tree as well. This one a gift from another friend who has long been a companion on the way with me. I am accompanied by many on this Advent journey, and I am grateful.
Now the time is near. We turn expectant faces toward the in-breaking of God’s vision and the love that is before our eyes. Come, Jesus, come.
