Advent Meditation: December 18, 2021

55; 138, 139:1-17(18-23)
Zech. 8:9-17 Rev. 6:1-17 Matt. 25:31-46

If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you. Ps 139: 11-12

I recently returned from a three month sabbatical. My time away included a “thru-hike” on the Colorado Trail. It was glorious! A highlight of that time was meeting other backpackers, other pilgrims, on a journey. I enjoyed sharing the trail and conversing without interruption from modern communication! In the course of my journey one fellow pilgrim referred to our pandemic life as the “Great Pause.” When I inquired about the term he responded saying “we wait while everything is on pause.” He went on “even when a decision is made we still wait. We wait to see if it will really happen. We wait to see if plans will be cancelled, changed or postponed. We constantly wait.” I’m reminded of this conversation because waiting is precisely what we do during Advent. The first century world was waiting desperately for a savior to bring a light to enlighten the nations. This pandemic life has indeed left us waiting and sometimes left us feeling like we’re in the dark. The irony, however, is that even in the dark and even “on pause” God is with us.

Gracious God, in darkness and while waiting, you are with us. May your light lead us into a new life of hope and action. Amen.

Listen to Brian read his Advent meditation and prayer:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *