Advent

Advent, my favorite time of year.

I love to sit every morning in front of our tree, the ornaments reminding me of days gone by, many made by my grown children’s little hands of years ago. A cozy blanket wraps me in warmth and reminds me of His comforting love.

The quietness and stillness slows my morning and bids metime to ponder anew the mystery and majesty of this time of waiting. Ofanticipation. Of Hope arriving as we usher in the celebration of the Word becomingflesh.

I sit with great expectancy of hearing the “Still SmallVoice” whisper a new truth to my heart.

I meditate. I wait. I process. I worship.

The twinkling lights remind me of the Light that has come to pierce the darkness. Once again, I ponder those words. Pierce. To penetrate, to force or make a way into. According to another source, you can “pierce confusion by saying something that makes everything clear.”

Perhaps this is it. This is what the Light has come to do tothe dark. It has come to pierce the confusion and to make everything clear.

The Word became flesh so He might live and dwell in us and among us; to rid us of the doubts and confusion, which is this dark world’s only meager offering to us.

I recently had a conversation with my now 30-year-old son and was reminding him of how much I love the season of Advent. He told me he used to think I was crazy when I would tell him that; "How could she love Advent more than Christmas Day?" As he's gotten older, though, he says he gets it. He understands better the joy of the anticipation.

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines over you.

For look, darkness covers the earth, and total darkness the peoples: but the Lord will shine over you, and His glory will appear over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your radiance.

~Isaiah 60. 1-3