The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfil the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. (Jeremiah 33:14-16)
Advent is a time of waiting. Not just a time of waiting for Christmas, but a time of renewed attention to how we wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises.
Advent is also a time of preparation. Not just a time of preparing for the holidays, but a time of preparing ourselves for the gift of God’s own self, Emmanuel, God with us.
This juxtaposition of waiting and preparation reminds me of how Martin Luther explains the Lord’s Prayer petitions “Your kingdom come” and “Your will be done, on earth as in heaven” in his Small Catechism. Luther assures us that God’s kingdom comes and God’s will is done without our efforts. Luther also urges us to pray that God’s kingdom “may come to us” and God’s will be done “in and among us.” In other words, the action – both the promise and the fulfillment – is God’s (that’s the waiting part). And we are also invited into that divine action, to experience its blessings for ourselves and to share them with others (that’s the preparation part).
As Advent begins, how might we best prepare for the fulfillment of God’s promises?
One of my late mother’s dear friends, Barbara S. Germiat, captured the spirit of Advent well in this poem:
"On How to be a Manger"
Be empty
Be sturdy
Be soft inside
Be still
Be ready
The Rev. Kathryn A. Kleinhans, Ph.D.
Dean