Posts with the category “advent”

That is the truth the Fourth Sunday of Advent invites us to rest in. Not to strive toward Christmas morning, but to pause before it. Not to add more meaning to the season, but to let the meaning already given settle into our hearts. Advent, especially this final week, does not rush us forward. It slows us down and anchors us in the grace that has already arrived.  Read More

Advent invites us into the waiting. This season, especially in its third week, confronts us with the tension between promise and fulfillment, hope and waiting, expectation and reality. God has clearly started something in the world through Jesus Christ. The kingdom has broken in. Light has entered the darkness. The project is underway. And yet, much of the world still looks unchanged. Suffering persists. Injustice remains. Prayers seem unanswered. Faith can feel fragile.  Read More

Anyone who has lived near a construction site knows the frustration of waiting. Day after day you drive through dust, bumps, and detours. You begin to wonder if the road will ever be finished. But then one day the barriers are gone. The pavement is smooth. The traffic flows. You realize that every inconvenience was part of a larger plan.  Read More

Advent does not begin with spectacle. It rarely arrives with flashing lights, triumphant music, or fireworks. Advent begins the way dawn begins in the mountains. Before the sun crests the ridge. Before warmth touches the chilled air. Before the world fully wakes. Advent begins when the fog still lingers. It begins in quiet. It begins in longing. It begins with the recognition that darkness still exists, yet something brighter is on the way.  Read More