The eve before Advent

A New Year's Eve for Christians!

It is an evening like no other. We are now preparing to prepare! Tomorrow morning, as the sun rises, we move into a season that focuses on preparation: Advent. The first Sunday in December begins Advent, a four-week season that leads up to Christmas. Many Christians also understand this Sunday as the beginning of the church year.

Advent is a time filled with anticipation, wonder, and a certain tension that stirs one’s inner Spirit. Stories are told, reminding people to keep a watchful eye and see the arrival of good news to relieve a stressed and pain-filled world. Stories are told from different perspectives – there are visiting angels and emboldened shepherds – there are faithful wise men traveling by the guidance of a star and kings whose insecurities destroy families and alter generations.

We hear stories of dreams that speak of hope and light in dark, unsettling times. To discover this hope, life-changing journeys must be taken. These journeys are both on foot and in the heart. A willingness to say “yes” transforms the life of a young girl into the mother of a baby boy—a boy whose presence would shake the earth’s foundation.

In Advent, we are reminded to pay attention to details. Although Advent’s stories are told every year, their details can speak to us in different ways when told in new times and places.

So, on the Christian Churches’ New Year's Eve, prepare to spend time with these stories, listening for their wisdom in this new time and place. Insightful, inspiring, and sometimes disconcerting, may we hear these familiar words, ready to live God’s good news.

May God’s face shine upon you.

May God’s hope bring you wholeness.

And may you move through these days toward the light of a small star.