December 2010
For lo! The days are hastening on, by prophet bards foretold, when with the ever circling years, comes round the age of gold, when peace shall over all the earth its ancient splendors fling, and the whole world give back the song which now the angels sing.”
I am in the midst of preparing my garden for winter, emptying the pots that once held flowers, cutting back the plants that flourished just weeks ago, and clearing the leaves, which is a never ending job! The sun comes and goes behind the clouds of the gray blue sky, making it colder and more urgent to complete than the spring time preparation I savor and enjoy. Yet the preparation is something that must be done.
I delight in preparing the menu for a dinner. I remember the time spent preparing for the trip to Colombia this summer and several months from now, I will begin to think about preparing my garden once more. Preparation is part of life.
Preparation also requires time. When there is a special event in our lives such as a wedding, the birth of a child, or a special anniversary we may spend an entire year or more preparing and scheduling meetings. Planning for a special event heightens the anticipation and increases the joy as the day approaches.
As Christians, the season of preparation called Advent, is upon us. It is a season related to Christmas, but often loses its distinct nature. It is easy to get side-tracked or overwhelmed by Christmas preparations and miss the heart of what we are really preparing for. Perhaps, instead of beginning with plans centered around what we are doing for Christmas and New Year’s we might begin by considering what we are going to do for Advent this year. Who or what are we preparing for? How will we prepare the gardens of our souls? Who will we set aside time to meet with?
As the familiar carol, “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” conveys, the days are hastening on as the day fulfilling God’s promise approaches. May we prepare our hearts, our homes, our families and our spirits to receive the gift of God that lasts for all eternity, the gift of Love!
May God bless you with peace, faith, hope and love this Advent season that you may enter into the joy of our Lord on Christmas Day!
Pastor Cathy