Advent is

Advent is

A time to look to history

and the big scheme of things.

How the prophets foretold

of Christ’s birth.

They did what God asked them to do: Play a role in ushering in the Kingdom.

Some lost their lives

in foretelling of the Good News.

Scripture is strong as cement.

The impression

is carried through the ages.

The mold is cast. The tablets hardened. A shoot will come up

from the Stump of Jesse, From his roots a Branch will bear fruit, The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him

The Spirit of Wisdom and of understanding,

The Spirit of counsel and of power, The Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord

And he will delight in the fear of the Lord, Isaiah 11:1-3.

In Advent, we can see the beginnings of hope early on.

—In the Hebrew Scriptures. The detailed plot, and theme and transforming theology

From parochial to modern. Waiting…until all the scaffolding

has been put into place.

And then God breathed a sigh of relief.

And Jesus came to earth in humility

Into the smell of hay and barn animals

into the spectacular.

Angels sing at his birth. Can we gather around and look up?

Hear the song, see the stars and wonder what would have it been like that night

To share the happiness of a young couple

their first child

The joy A precious treasure

—to be shared with the world.

Advent is a time in the Liturgical calendar when we make haste to Bethlehem

and kneel before the Crèche.

And think of angels and shepherds

and of Magi, and gifts and Herod

and the midnight escapes to Egypt.

Jesus’ early years were spent in the arms of his mother and later, as he could walk, with special oversight of his parents.

They were in a foreign land, bilingual refugees waiting for the call on their lives.

Behind the scenes, the audience of history looked on-waiting for the prophetic pull

“Out of Egypt, I will call my Son.”

Mary and Joseph and Jesus journeyed again. They returned home. Humble people. Ordinary people.

We return home for the holidays.

Gathering around the table at Thanksgiving

and Christmas to share a festive meal

and become reacquainted with those

who we may have not seen

in a long time. What will we say to them?

What hope have we to offer or share?

Advent is a time of traveling to meet Jesus. A time to look for the Babe in the manger,

the Savior….the Promised One.

Promises written long ago

For us.

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[This poem originally appeared in the author’s parish newsletter, “For the Love of Mike.” Public Domain image by Greyson Joralemon via Unsplash]