Advent

The Church Calendar tells us that for the next four weeks we are in the Season of Advent. Advent is a time of preparation and a time of waiting for Christ to come into our lives in new and fresh ways.

We do not like to wait, and we really do not like to prepare for things. We like to show up and stuff happen. We like for stuff to happen now. But, there are times we have to wait. There are times whatever it is we are waiting for has to happen sometime in the future. While we don’t like to prepare for things, more often than not, it is better for us to prepare ourselves than to just show up.

Sometimes in waiting and preparing it feels like “it” will never get here. But then we begin to see movement, or glimmers of hope. Finally things are beginning to happen. Things might not be the way we hope for them to be, but there is some excitement, there is some movement, possibly even some momentum is being built…

I think our community has experienced a sort of Advent of its own. I know that there have been some in our community waiting, maybe even preparing for things to “happen” here. They have waited and waited and waited. Some gave up hope and moved away thinking nothing will ever happen here. But there were those that remained hopeful, those that continued to wait…

There are changes taking place in our community. Some have been longing for these changes, others have been dreading them. There is talk of new homes being built, new businesses that might come to town, a health clinic. There is a new Elementary School; there is a new Fine Arts Center at the High School. Different churches and organizations have joined together in conversation to prepare to assist those that the CCRC assisted before it closed.

For some things are not changing fast enough, for others change is happening to quickly. However, if we as a community can condition ourselves to wait and prepare we may be surprised with the way we experience our community in new and fresh ways, much like those in the church wait and prepare and experience Christ in new and fresh ways during the holiday season.