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United Church of Christ | Saxonville, Massachusetts

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What Are We Waiting For?

November 24, 2021 by Rev. Dr. Karen Nell Smith

Wouldn’t it be wonderful  
if Advent came filled with angels and alleluias?
Wouldn’t it be perfect 
if we were greeted on these December mornings
with a hovering of heavenly hosts 
tuning their harps and brushing up on their fa-la-las?

Wouldn’t it be incredible 
     if their music filled our waking hours 
     with the promise of peace on earth
     and if each Advent night we dreamed of nothing but goodwill?

And, oh, how glorious it would be
     to sit in church next to an angel
     and sing our hark-the-heralds!

What an Advent that would be!
What Christmas spirit we could have!

“Angel Filled Advent,” by Ann Weems, Kneeling in Bethlehem

Dear friends,

Advent is here! It’s always a crazy time of year—with a lot of focus and build up to Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. All must be ready by then. It’s what you might call “joyful anticipation.” But we’re not just biding time until the big events at the end of December. What happens as we wait and prepare for the birth of Christ, as we plan and make ready for the coming of Christ, is just as important as the event we anticipate with such joy.

This year, the children at Edwards will be learning about the feeling of anticipation and what it means to wait. Even our Christmas pageant, a hybrid one this year, will as the question, “What are we waiting for?” As we wait for Christmas, and the joyful celebration of Jesus’ birth, we are reminded once again that the reason God sent us this little baby was to show us how to truly love one another—every day, now, in this moment, today and tomorrow and the day after. This is the miracle of Advent. How do we love one another each day—even while we’re waiting for the seemingly more special events of our lives? 

So…what are we waiting for? The time is now to do things differently—perform some wonderful, perfect, incredible Advent “miracles.” Like changing a scowl of impatience into a good sense of humor, or trying to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, or forgiving a wrong, or letting go of a long-held grudge, or helping someone in need. Each of us can choose to live in the light of the present—right now, today! We don’t have to wait until Christmas! 

Let’s not wait for Christmas. Let’s work some Advent miracles right now. Oh, what an Advent that would be!    

Peace,
Karen Nell

Filed Under: Associate Pastor, Steeple Tagged With: Steeple November 2021, Steeple October 2021

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