Prepare the Way

Our turkey is thawing in the fridge, the sweet potatoes wait on the counter to be cooked, and well if the pie was in the house it would already be half-eaten. Thanksgiving gathers us around a table of abundance and we bump elbows with our relatives and friends. Around the table there can be everything from laughter to tension if the topics of religion or politics come up. Around the table we celebrate the truth that our connections with each other and with God matter and make a difference.

Thanksgiving, in the popular culture signals the entrance to the holiday season. Shopping and parties and frenzied schedules. Thanksgiving in the church marks the entrance to Advent. Advent is a time set aside as the church to be intentional and prayerful about how we journey to Bethlehem to witness again and anew the birth of Jesus. Advent names aloud for all to hear that we already know the road to Bethlehem. This is one place where popular culture helps the church tell the story. Think about The Peanuts where Linus dons his blanket to recite the Luke passage after Charlie Brown exclaims at the top of his voice that 'Doesn't anyone know the true meaning of Christmas?!?!"(if you need a reminder of this great scene, clink here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKk9rv2hUfA)

But because we have 'been there, done that' with the Christmas narrative, you may wonder why? Why do we need Advent? Why not show up on Christmas Eve ready... set...go? Why add one more thing to my already, hectic life?

Advent, for me, is not about guilt as much as it is recognizing that even though I know the story so well, there is always a surprise waiting this year. Advent says even if I know the path to Bethlehem and can get there without my GPS/with my eyes closed, I am a different person this year. Or there may be a new side road to Bethlehem that I did not notice when I was traveling in 2010. Advent proclaims even if I go down the same path, even if it feels like I am standing in last year's straw with the same old shepherds, there will still be a serendipitous, sacred moment that I could miss if I am on autopilot.

I encourage you this Advent to be intentional, to be prayerful in preparing. The church I serve this Sunday (November 20, 2011) will be offering a devotional tied to things you are already planning to do that will hopefully help you notice the sacred and traces of God's grace all around you. It will also be posted to our website: www.janesvilleucc.org

Most of all, I pray in the marathon blur between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, you will find moments of peace and signs of hope and most of all traces of God's grace and love all around you.

Blessings and Happy Thanksgiving