Monday, December 9, 2019 Psalm 62:5-6
5For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.
6He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress: I shall not be shaken.
Waiting and Learning in the Presence of Jesus
Everyone waits for something or someone; at times the wait is longer than others. But at one time or another, each and every one of us have had to wait. Sometimes we have waited with patience and perseverance, or anticipation and enthusiasm; at other times, well, not so much… and admittedly, not so well.
Many years ago, my father and mother were each diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. For my parents, our family and close friends, this meant there would be a long, slow period of waiting and keeping watch; the duration of which could conceivably last as long as twenty years. However, along with the all too often mind-numbing cruelty and pain that came with this time, it also proved to be a season of learning.
Every moment I had to visit and spend time with my parents, we would reminisce about the lives we had lived, both individually and as a family. Often times those moments would inevitably reveal a new or hidden corner of our lives here on earth; something that may have been previously overlooked. It was a time of inner reflection filled with discovery and change as well as a chance to make new memories for the future. However, as I would learn, it was also a time when too many of our favorite family traditions as we knew them, would have to come to an end.
Growing up during the season of Advent, I remember waiting anxiously to receive my sparkly Advent calendar. It was always a beautifully depicted scene of Christmas night, in which each person and animal and angel had his or her own place to wonder and worship with awe and respect. The calendar came complete with 23 tiny, little doors each revealing tiny, little chocolate treasures. But while the 24th and final door still had its tiny little gift of chocolate, it was also always a double door, hung directly above the baby Jesus lying in a manger on Christmas Eve.
Each year mom would adorn our dining table with a sparkly, little green wreath decorated with little red candles all hung by shiny, red satin ribbons from a beautifully hand-carved red wooden pillar topped by a sparkly, golden wooden star. Every Sunday before dinner, we would light a new candle until the last Sunday before Christmas when all four candles were lit together. I always loved and still do love the way the candles melted in height order as the weeks progressed. It was our family’s beloved Advent tradition.
Some time ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to learn of another ritual. I was fortunate enough to be invited to spend the Advent season with some dear friends. Their Advent tradition was a little different from the one to which I had grown accustomed. Each night after supper, time was taken to gather together as a family to reflect upon the source of the season and to unearth places deep in our hearts revealing what all the waiting meant to each of us. One of my favorite parts of the evening was the nightly ritual of giving each child in the family an opportunity to read aloud a chapter from the Advent Storybook by Antonie Schneider.
Like so many of us, the main character “Benjamin Bear [could not] wait for Christmas to come. To help the time pass more quickly, his mother tells him that every day when he opens a door on his Advent calendar, she’ll tell him a story about another little bear and his long, arduous journey to Bethlehem. The little bear, led by a glittering star, meets many others on his travels. His adventures, filled with acts of heroism and kindness and many small miracles, show him the path to the Christ Child.” (Amazon) It is an appropriately named book which helps the reader contemplate the true meaning of the season.
For much of my life, I suppose I assumed that Advent was all about a countdown, a lesson in patience and waiting. A time when everyone spends each available moment running madly about, futilely preparing for the “big day.”
But now, thankfully my understanding of the season of Advent is very different. What I now know is that I can and must take and spend a bit of time each day during this season, to quietly reflect not only on the coming of the Christ child, but also on the time when Christ our King will return triumphantly to gather his children and bring them to a place of eternal peace and joy. Over the past years, I have come to miss the presence of my parents during this time. But this year I know they are safe in the arms of Christ. Thanks be to God!
“For God alone my soul [must wait] in silence, for hope is from him.”
Let us pray. Lord, help me set aside the time this Advent season. Help us all to learn to truly appreciate the gift of Jesus Christ. In His holy name I pray. Amen.
Submitted by: Doris Dimpel