What does Advent mean to you?
It's the run-up to Christmas...and to Good Friday...
...and to the Resurrection, and our deliverance from damnation.
Have to admit, I have trouble wrapping my thoughts around the whole thing. I'd love to separate out the Holy Night, and the manger, and that quiet intimacy under the stars the angels placed.
But I see to the end, and that no longer works, and Advent is left as the beginning of a Mystery, great and terrible and glorious.
How can a Child be born to die,
the only Son of God,
the apple of His golden eye,
for a world so flawed?
How could dear Mary bear the truth,
and not dissolve in tears?
In what form did God offer proof
that could calm her fears?
And did strong Joseph come to know
that he would not be there
to help his wife absorb the blow...
did he think it unfair,
or, as he held the newborn Son,
did he say, "Thy will be done"?
Is this how it should be?
What is it for you?
For Sylvia it's ice cream.
I loved the question - What does Advent mean to you? I woke this morning asking myself the same question and I was still in bed. It made me wonder if my thoughts were going all night :) Advent - a time of amazement, wonder, and worship. A time to remember exactly why I celebrate Christmas. Advent grounds me in peace, joy, and hope. It prepares my heart for what is yet to come.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, I hope your question causes us all to truly think about the true meaning of this time. Blessings to you and Barb!
Jesus' family were human beings yet ones who were visited by God Himself. It must have been an awesome family saga to behold.
ReplyDeleteI think of 2 Cor. 8:9 at this time of year. " For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich."
ReplyDeleteYes, let's always leave room for mystery!
ReplyDeleteI love your poem, and yes, advent means so much more than just the birth of Jesus, as fantastic and mysterious as that was. We really can't wrap our minds around it all - how He came to die because He loved us so much, but then He rose! Hallelujah! We are free in Him and that is a wondrous thought! Blessings to you!
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