“I hate this season,” the woman said, “I hate the remembrance of my son’s death.”
“The lights are glorious around Christmas. I just love this season.”
“Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday!”
“The loss is so painful, I just wish we didn’t have the meal at all for Thanksgiving.”
“I wish I could eat pumpkin pie every day, all day long.”
So many contrasting feelings and emotions surrounding holidays, especially these two that fall within our longer Advent. Each holiday and the seasons around them carry their own stories in each of your lives. For some of you, it is light and glorious. For others dark and dismal, for the losses, hurts, and pain have marked these events so the holiday comes as an annual reminder of that loss.
The early church began the practice of fasting during Advent, and began that fast in what is now the month of November. As we have begun Advent early, take time to reflect on the coming of Jesus and ask this question: How might this miracle impact how I live each day?
I know, you have already been doing that. But during this season, do it all the more. Remember the first coming and anticipate the second coming of Jesus.
During Advent, some of the scriptures you will be asked to reflect upon in Next Steps will focus upon the second coming. Ponder those and how you relate to the idea that Jesus is coming again?
Also, during this longer Advent, what do you plan to take up or let go of in order to draw nearer to Jesus?
How might you follow more closely?
That’s a similar question that we asked during Lent. The ancient church, and still practiced in the Orthodox church, fast in this season.
You and I can choose to cut something out or add something in, during this season, in order to draw closer to Jesus.
What might that be for you?
How might you subtract or add something to experience more of Jesus in your heart and life?
This is like waiting at a certain corner for a bus. If you know the bus is coming, then waiting at the correct corner is all that is needed. So, your ‘fast’ -- the thing you cut or add -- can be that means to wait daily upon God to show up. God will. God loves to meet us!
Something to release. Something to add.
Let’s do this for the longer advent and submit ourselves to God all the more.