Advent

Dear People of Christ Church,

Today or tomorrow, our Quarterly newsletter will find its way to your mailbox (or you can download it). The articles in its pages lead us into different reflections on what Advent means-Advent, as well as its broader theme of "prophecy." In observing Advent myself I've been thinking about how there's so much tension in it. Advent is a season of paradox and antonym (whether real or perceived as such).

Light, dark, power, weakness, anticipation, resolution. Living in this "in between" time of Jesus' ministry and return, we live in a world in which we know that the battle has already been won, that God's embrace of us can never be alienated. The resurrection is a sign of death's loss of ultimate power. At the same time, incompleteness, lack, and need are all around us. In the words of Paula Tatarunis' poem in the Quarterly, "There is no lack of lack." Even the beautiful weather today seems to highlight the darkness; seeing the sunshine outside my window now, I know that when I leave for home this evening it will be dark.

Still, there is this light-light in the Advent wreath, light illuminating houses, light in the faces of those who love us. And, always, the True Light-as the Gospel of John so beautifully proclaims, the coming into being of "life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. (John 1: 3-5). It is not overcome, but there is still plenty of dark.

Just this morning, I heard of one person's brother dying, another having been diagnosed with cancer. All of those sweeping categories of Light and Dark aren't abstract for long. The biggest mystery is that we are each part of this cosmic drama, personally and palpably. Jesus Christ was not born for another people at another time-he was born for us, in all time and beyond all time. The Word, the logos which is the light of the world through whom and in whom everything came to be is our mother tongue. In the words of writer Caryll Houselander, "We are only syllables of the Perfect Word." We are part of all of this; each of us, created in the image of God, through this Word of God, through this Christ-"who was, and is, and is to come."

This cold clear day, take a moment to ask yourself what your paradoxes are this Advent-where is your light, your dark? How are you holding the tension? How does Christ inhabit that tension with you?

Blessings,

Sara+