Advent reminds us that the One who has come into the world and is always coming into our lives in new ways is the source of our salvation. We don’t need novelty and “magic bullet” solutions to our concerns. We simply need to return again and again to the rock-solid foundation of our lives: God and God alone. The mystery of the Incarnation is that by entering into our time and into our world, Jesus can show us the way to the gift that is beyond all time.
The prophet Isaiah is the voice and spirit of the Advent season. In the eighth century before Christ was born, his words encouraged a people dejected and torn from their homes by soldiers of a foreign power. The people of Israel were carried off to Assyria, exiled from their homeland, driven out of the Promised Land. While God’s prophets, including Isaiah, had warned them time and time again that this would happen, until they were living the reality of the exile, they didn’t see the need to change their ways. But once the worst had happened, he changed his tone and his words brought comfort and hope to an afflicted people. He continued to call them to change their lives and turn again to their God, but he did it with gentleness and encouragement, with reminders of how very much God loved them, even in the midst of their suffering.
At different times in our lives, we find ourselves beaten down by circumstances—some beyond our control and some the consequence of bad choices on our part. We’re embarrassed by the number of times people have warned us that we were going the wrong way. We feel consumed by regret and remorse. At times such as these, we need to hear the word of God through the prophet Isaiah, reminding us that God is merciful, that God loves us just as we are, that in spite of our weakness and sin, God is always ready to welcome us home, to bring us back to level ground. If you’ve reached one of these valleys during this holiday season, don’t beat yourself up for the way you’re feeling. Remember that our resolutions to do better, our commitment to repentance and turning our lives around, all happen with God’s help.
We might think of patience as trust through time. And our perception of time changes as we grow older. Remember what this time of year felt like when you were a child? It seemed as though Christmas would never get here. Children live so much in the present moment that it’s hard to get them to understand the passage of time and the need to wait. As we get older, though, it seems as though time moves faster and faster. We look back on our teenage and young adult years and wonder when we found time to hang out with our friends, to play games (card, board, video—the medium changes but the pastime doesn’t). We might think it’s our work and family responsibilities, and that’s part of it, but even people who have retired say that they find it hard to find time for all that they want to do.
Only at the very end of our lives do we again find time hanging heavy around us. If infirmity and illness keep us from doing the things we love, the days may feel endless and the nights even more so. Instead of having to slow down, we need to remind ourselves that we’re in the perfect time and place for long and leisurely conversations with God.
We take seriously the words of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel when he warns against “carousing and drunkenness.” But he also warns against “the anxieties of daily life.” It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the many tasks of this season of preparation. Cleaning, cooking, shopping, wrapping packages, cleaning some more, baking, doing dishes, going on one more shopping excursion. As so often happens during busy times, we find ourselves going to bed late, getting up early, grabbing fast food on the go, skipping a workout at the gym because we don’t have time, and generally not taking good care of ourselves. Then we go to parties where we eat too much rich, sweet food, and drink one too many alcoholic beverages and the downward spiral continues. Sit quietly for five or ten minutes today. Pay attention to your breathing. Hear Jesus say, “You are busy and anxious about many things.” You know what those anxieties are. As you breathe in calm reassurance, breathe out those anxieties and turn them over to the Lord.
Ask your body and your spirit what they need at this time. It might be rest. Then again it might be more exercise. Our needs change throughout our lives and we don’t always pay attention to that. Take a walk. Take a nap. Do both. Cancel an engagement and stay home for the evening. Or resist the pull of the recliner and Netflix and go to dinner with a good friend. The main thing is to take time to ask yourself in any given moment if what you’re doing is really what you need or if another choice would be better. Then make the better choice, choose the better part.
One of my favorite Advent hymns gives this reflection its title. There’s something wonderful about including the cosmos in our Christmas celebrations. I grew up with fresh-cut Christmas trees, usually a short-needled double balsam. It would appear on the enclosed front porch one day, lying on the swing in the cold Wisconsin air for a week or so before it came in the house. There was always something magical about bringing this little piece of the forest in the house. The artificial trees that have become more practical in my adult life never quite match that splendor. Christmas can become a celebration of artifice and manufactured wonders. From the dangling icicle lights along the roofline to the inflatable cartoon characters on suburban lawns, we run the risk of treating this holiday as a time of one-upping not only the neighbors but also God. But we know deep down that no factory in China can produce something as wonderful as the tiniest miracle in God’s creation.
Each year, the pope blesses a Christmas tree and crèche in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. There’s a protocol in the ceremony that recognizes with gratitude the origin of the tree and the people whose gift it is. It serves as a reminder of the many connections among us, but also the connection with nature that has been a part of the human race from the beginning of creation. Redemption is about more than a perfection of human behavior. Scripture tells us that all creation is redeemed in the coming of the Christ. It’s good to remind ourselves of that as we decorate our homes and yards for the season.
As you plan your holiday decorations, find a way to incorporate something natural in the mix. It might be a real pine or boxwood wreath on the door, a freshly cut Christmas tree, a Christmas cactus, a dish of paperwhite narcissi, or a showy amaryllis bulb. Not only do these remind us of God’s natural world, in many cases we can watch the miracle of life as they grow and bloom throughout the season.
We don’t know how to rest and relax anymore. Picture an overtired toddler fighting a much-needed nap. This is a good image for many of us as we push ourselves through days filled with too much activity and too much stress. Part of the problem is that too often the work we do takes place mostly in our brains and on our computers. We are mentally but not physically tired. People who work in physically demanding jobs perhaps have a better awareness of the body’s need for rest. I think my parents and grandparents were much better than I am at balancing work and rest. But this isn’t solely a twenty-first-century phenomenon. As far back as the beginning of the Hebrew Scriptures, God had to command one day of rest for the Chosen People. Left to ourselves, like toddlers we will keep going until we drop in our tracks. One of my favorite quotes from Isaiah talks about how quiet trust and rest will lead to salvation. It wasn’t until I found the quote in its full context that I understood how much we resist the very thing we most need: For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength. But you refused and said, “No! We will flee upon horses”— therefore you shall flee!—Isaiah 30:15–16 We rely a great deal—probably too much—on our own efforts. We become convinced that we’re indispensable and irreplaceable. We don’t realize that it’s OK to ask for help—or at least allow ourselves to take a day off and return to the task with renewed energy.
The tradition of Santa Claus developed in many cultures from the actions of the fourth-century St. Nicholas, a bishop who helped many poor people with gifts to rescue them from destitution. Like all the saints, this holy figure lived the Gospel and followed the example of Jesus, giving freely to others and showering gifts on them in imitation of a gracious God. Over the centuries, we’ve confused Santa and God, or perhaps we’ve created both in an image that was never intended to be theirs. Both are portrayed as keeping a careful account of each good and bad thing we do, weighing our actions against a standard of perfection, recording a black mark each time we make a mistake. It may be a reflection of a strongly authoritarian culture, or it might just be a parent’s desperate attempt to keep antsy kids from misbehaving in the excitement and anticipation of the Christmas season: “Santa’s elves are watching you!” We need to remember always that God’s attitude toward us is far more one of mercy than of judgment. Forgiveness and generosity are the hallmarks of the divine. The psalms tell us that God puts behind himself all our sins. Gifts, by their nature, are something we don’t deserve and can’t earn. And the greatest gift-giver is our God. If this is what our faith tells us, then our Christmas traditions should reflect this.
“Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”—Joshua 1:9
We are not on a lonely journey, all alone on a long road. Our loving Father never takes his eyes off us. We all are subject to feelings of fear and anxiety. All the great saints repeatedly tell us, “Don’t let those negative feelings control you.” It’s damaging to the good that God has created in you. It paralyzes your potential and cripples your natural gifts and talents. How do you thrust those feelings away? Know the truth! There is another who loves you as you are and cares deeply about your situation. Your loving, ever-present, ever-caring Heavenly Father is only a breath away. Jesus tells us to pray always—“cry to [God] day and night” (Luke 18:7). We can all do that. God is holding you and me by the hand along the path he has marked out for us. Simply whisper a simple prayer—“Lord, help me,” or “Thanks, Lord”—to let God know you’re holding his hand, too. With any short, spontaneous prayer, we reach out to grasp God, and God lovingly grasps us. Lord, show me that I am never alone on my life’s journey. I abandon myself into your hands. Amen.
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”—Philippians 4:13
How can you or I hasten through the day today and not grow weary? How can we go through life’s paces and not grow tired? We find the answer in Isaiah 40:30–31: Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. Start each morning and end each evening with a prayer of trust in the Father’s love. You will find God’s helping hand in each step. That trust will help you to walk and not stumble, to run and not grow weary.
Lord, I trust your love for me—increase that grace of trust. Amen.
“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” —Deuteronomy 31:8
Most of the time our anxiety stems from a fear of something or someone in the future. The next time it happens to you, try the “Three Ps Remedy”: Prepare—Do what you can now. Simply ponder, What can I do in a proactive way that makes sense? Usually one or two things will occur to you. Do them and watch your anxiety begin to shrink. Present—Live in the present moment, not in the imagined future. Living in the now can help smother the fire of fear. Pray—Know that God is in of control of the future. God has the power and the love to do what we cannot do. Our Father’s love can and does shape the future. Pray and experience the peace that will replace the anxiety, because the God who loves you unconditionally is in control now and in the days ahead. Prayer Lord, show me how to prepare, to live in the present moment, and to pray when fear begins to creep in. Amen.
