Advent Vision

About that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.

Mark 13:32-33 (NRSV)

Wake, awake, for night is flying,
The watchmen on the heights are crying;
Awake, Jerusalem, at last!

Philipp Nicolai. Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme

Hello everyone and happy Advent!

Advent signals the beginning of a new church year, and I am greeting the new year with a new nose. Last week I had surgery to repair a deviated septum and rebuild collapsed sinuses. It has been a long time since I was able to breathe freely and I’m looking forward to taking some deep breaths. I’m also curious to see how different my nose will look once the swelling goes down.

(I’m convinced that we all have a cartoon alter ego. I always thought mine was Charlie Brown. It turns out that it was actually the Lorax!)

But, back to Advent. These weeks before Christmas are generally my favorite weeks of the year. I love the sense of anticipation, the sense that something extraordinary is about to happen. The challenge is to keep that feeling all year long because, truly, our entire life is one long advent season as we await the return of Christ. Whether we are aware of it or not, something extraordinary is happening: day by day the kingdom of God is coming closer to its fulfillment.

So, there really are no ordinary days; each day something special unfolds. Do we have the vision to see what is happening around us?

Speaking for myself, I have to be very intentional about looking for what God is doing. God is nothing if not subtle and it is easy to miss the extraordinary amid the ordinary. Daily engagement with spiritual practices helps sharpen my vision. Advent, this time of anticipation and preparation, is a wonderful time to explore some new practices such as Bible study, journaling, prayer or mindfulness. The reward is more than worth the effort.

Book Update: Experiencing Grace has gone through the editing process and is now at the layout stage. It is currently looking like a January release. Stay tuned.