Longing for Advent

Originally an Article for the December 2011 Mira Vista UCC Newsletter.

Advent is a special time of year for me. It is this time of year that we take time to wait, listen and discover once again what Christmas can mean. It is time where the songs we sing and scriptures we read often express a longing for God. Whether it is singing “Oh Come, Oh Come Emanuel” or hearing the words of Isaiah saying to “prepare the way” we are invited to join in that longing.

Humans define God, tie God down, limit God to a few ways of showing up on our planet. Still, after millenia of recorded thought, God remains elusive for earth people. The authors of our scriptures speak beautifully about our human despair as we search for a God we can really know. If God is still speaking, what's God saying? Who or what is Divine? Even as we actively search for God, God often remains elusive. As if the divine is only just outside our reach.

As I have journeyed from time to time I have experienced moments when God seems to break through that elusiveness. It is a fleeting moment but it is a powerful experience. For me it is often in quiet contemplative moments. One moment I’m singing a Taize’ Chant and the next I feel as if the divine is within reach. As if I can feel that I am a part of something much bigger than myself. It is both a comforting and daunting experience. In those moments I feel as if I’m wrapped in the love of God, but I also feel the great responsibility it means to be connected to the entire universe through the divine. For that moment I feel I am truly present to the possibilities the world has to offer. Just as quickly as those moments come they are gone and I’m left longing for more.

While I feel I have gained insight these moments, I am always struck by the fact that the more I experience of the divine, the more I am aware just how little I truly know about God. It makes me long for those moments of connection, long to experience more of the divine. It is like an ache, an ache for a world where that divine love permeates all experience. A dream of a world not as it is, but rather as I hope that it can slowly become.

So at advent time I feel connected with Isaiah’s hope proclaiming comfort to the Israelite exiles. I experience hope as John the Baptist as he points forward to something new that's coming, even as he doesn’t know exactly what that will be. I take comfort in the courage of Mary and Joseph in their willingness to listen to their visions and dreams, in hopes that by doing so the world might be a better place. I long to hear the angels say “Do not be afraid” proclaiming that hope has once again entered the world.