Advent Patience in 2022

 

A scene from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation you wonder? Have we time warped back to the Griswold's street from 1989. No, it's 2022 and this is the view of our next door neighbour's place, although you can't hear the music. In the past two years the coronavirus has metasticized into the christmasvirus with an astonishing expansion of their...display. While Ruth laughs at my muttering as we drive onto our court this really is harmless, although when the breeze is blowing and the figures are swaying it is like something from a horror flick rather than a comedy.

This went live several weeks ago when a mild spell had people out in shorts and they weren't alone. To be entirely forthcoming, we have put up Christmas lights and yesterday we bought our tree for this year, although it will enjoy being outside for a little while yet. We are willing to wait because this is Advent, the beginning of the church year, the time of patient, reflective waiting for the coming of the Christ. 

I've written before about the annoyance of members in some congregations I served through the years about our intentional period of preparation for Christmas without succumbing to what is the commericialization of the time of year. As a concession to the pressure we put up a tree early but decorated it week by week to acknowledge Advent. We lit the Advent candles, week by week, and involved people of all ages and circumstances in doing so. 

We are now in a time of instant everything and "patience" is almost a dirty word. Surely, though, there is a place for anticipation in our lives even if it goes against the flow of our culture. 

Today we will gather with others at Trenton United collectively dressed in blue which is the liturgical colour of Advent. Perhaps we can all offer the prayer which was up in the Kingston Penitentiary chapel when I was a chaplain intern there years ago, "Lord give me patience and give it to me now!"