Week One of Advent
The Peace of Advent Be with You
It’s here and not a moment too soon. Advent begins today at vigil and has me longing for the peace that only Christ can provide.
We seem to still be coming off the repercussions of the pandemic, and some are still hooked on the idea of getting sick with covid which definitely could happen but I hope never to go back to the mask jail. I prefer to smile at babies in the pews. That is the only way they are going to learn about different people and being out in the world. It will be interesting to see the studies that come out about the social and environmental impact of the “pandemic generation” and beyond.
Looking Inward
The past couple of years have made us look inward whether by circumstance or by choice. It seems like we lost a couple of years without the normal life experiences and may not return to some things as they once were. I guess, I can accept that. Things change, people change, circumstances change. It is a part of life and always has been.
The word Advent comes from the Latin adventus or arrival. We wait in anticipation for Christ’s arrival, his birth, the light of the world. Not only do the evenings begin early with pronounced darkness but I feel we need, more than ever, Christ’s light to shine on our own darkness.
Don’t Let the Darkness Take Hold
I have lived in darkness this past week and am kind of obsessed with the Idaho murders where four Idaho University college students were brutally stabbed and slain with a knife while sleeping. Two out of the six present in the house were not affected and survived this insanity. Not only is it shocking that something like this could happen, but that law enforcement has no suspects or no idea who the perpetrator is.
I sympathize with the parents and try to place myself in their shoes. It’s unimaginable, unbearable and atrocious. Who can make sense of it? It as at a time like this that we must lean heavily on the Lord. I pray for the parents, friends, and community, that there will be justice served by finding whoever did this.
This photo pictures the four youth so full of life and promise, only to be unexplicably snuffed out. I know there is much violence in the world but I just find this shocking and am grieving for the parents. The two with faces blurred are the surviving roommates. Photo credit is (@kayleegoncalves/Instagram)
Advent allows us to look at all the ugliness in our lives and in the world, whatever is lurking in the darkness. In exploring the facts of the four young adults murdered, I went to social media to gain clues. I use some social media but looked in another area and was astounded by what is there in plain sight for all to see, including the eyes of our youth! The latest trends are pretty sad, not to mention sinful. Please, if you have youth, please monitor all of their social media apps. Or at least, get on the apps yourself to see what young minds are being subjected to. You will be surprised!
Come Up With a Plan
Come up with a plan to live Advent more fully. Embrace the darkness as that is the only way to move through it. And what I mean by embrace is to acknowledge it. I see areas in my life that need improvement, of things that I would like to change. I must embrace the fact that these areas need change. I need to examine the dark areas in my life with the lens of Christ. Christ’s ways are built for health and happiness.
Many people don’t believe in God or religion. Faith is a gift and sometimes even our faith ebbs and flows but by performing the practices of our faith it helps us to draw closer.
