The Advent of Our God
In our culture, these weeks are The Christmas Season. (Actually, since the health of The Economy depends on us buying stuff, sellers of stuff have encouraged us to think that The Christmas Season begins as soon as Halloween is over. For the health of The Economy, there needs to be a strong Christmas Shopping Season.) In the liturgical church, though, today begins the season of Advent. Advent is my favorite season - because it is so counter to our culture. Advent encourages us to spend these weeks uncovering what it is that we are longing for, to prepare for the joy of Christmas. Advent reminds us that we cannot receive joy if we are covering up what we are afraid of. Only when we are honest about what we are longing for can we celebrate Christmas: the birth of God's promises for history, in the flesh and blood of Jesus. Advent encourages us to uncover what it is that we are longing for, so we will know what those promises will look like when they are fulfilled. That will be