While the world or commercialism and consumerism has been telling us it's Christmas time, it's not. Not yet, anyway. Let's remember that the Church has designated a time for us to get ready for the Lord. We call this time Advent. Recently, a couple of different sources reminded me that the word "advent" comes from the Latin words ad (meaning "to" or "toward") and venio (meaning "come" or "coming"). By simply combining the two words we create a word implying that which is "to come" or "coming towards." So, naturally, we understand that this four week season in the church year is a very special time we should spend preparing, reflecting, and waiting on the coming of God into the world as a baby (because God was already active in the world as we know from the Old Testament).
However, I have not heard anyone really use another English word that looks very similar to advent: adventure. This may be because we have come to associate adventures with grand journeys full of challenges and obstacles ultimately culminating in some kind of triumph. We may see this as inappropriate for such a joyful and peaceful time of the year. Well, I'd like to think that viewing Advent as a time of adventure is not far from what we should attempt to experience during this season. By virtue of being alive, we are constantly on a journey as it is, so Advent, then, challenges us to continue to faithfully work our way through the "wilderness" of our journey as both the prophet Isaiah and John the Baptist mention. This wilderness includes all of the challenges and obstacles that may prevent us from preparing ourselves fully for the coming of Lord at Christmas. Then, as we begin to come out of the wilderness, we should be better prepared to receive the joy and peace that is Emmanuel (God with us).
As I reflected more on this season of preparation, I thought about a story that is very popular this time of year: The Christmas Carol. Now, I know it's not Christmas yet, but this story is a prime example of someone (Ebeneezer Scrooge) forced to acknowledge the wilderness he lives in and has created for himself so that he may fully receive the joy of Christmas. I'll leave you with a song from my favorite version of this story: The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992). This song represents the triumphant culmination of Scrooge's journey and the "Thankful Heart" he receives as a result. Enjoy!
"A Thankful Heart"
May we be ever-faithful, ever-mindful, and ever-joyful.
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