Have you
ever accidentally or intentionally “found” your Christmas present(s) prior to
Christmas? If so, did it affect your
period of waiting? How? As I reflect on the meaning of Advent, a
childhood memory came to me of when I “found” the unwrapped board game in the garage,
where Mom had put it for wrapping later. What I remember most from that experience is
how the anticipation and excitement had diminished. I was disappointed that I had found what I
thought I wanted to know.
There’s
something wonderful to be said about the season of Advent. The Church in her wisdom provides us with
this first season of the Christian church year, which leads up to
Christmas. We continue on this Monday of
the Third Week of Advent in our period of waiting or anticipating the coming or
second coming of Christ. As I read a
selection from the book of Numbers today, I tried to imagine myself in the
midst of the Israelites while they were camped on the plains of Moab across the
Jordan from Jericho. They hadn’t yet
crossed the Jordan to claim the promised land.
The king of Moab was rightly concerned that the Israelites were coming
to conquer his people. The king had
asked his seer Balaam to curse the Israelites.
The king didn’t want the Israelites to be a threat. Balaam blessed the Israelites rather than
cursed them and said, “A star shall advance from Jacob, and a
staff shall rise from Israel.” [Numbers 24:2-17]. While Balaam was talking about King David who
eventually did conquer the holy land, these same words were eventually used in
the Gospel of Matthew to teach about Jesus [Matthew 2:2]. I guess we could say that the entire Old Testament
is the first Advent.
The waiting,
anticipation and excitement experienced by me as a child for the opening of
presents on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning doesn’t compare to the waiting,
anticipation and excitement of the gift of Jesus. This is why I try to be purposeful in making
the effort during Advent to enter into a deeper relationship with God. Quite honestly when I don’t (and there are
certainly times when I haven’t), the outcome is something like how I felt as a
child when I “found” my unwrapped Christmas present. There’s the disappointment that I missed out
on the anticipation and excitement during the waiting.
My hope is
that I’ve been able to provide some encouragement for all of us to “find” the
time to enter more deeply into our relationships with God. Hopefully on Christmas Eve and Christmas
morning, the present of Jesus will be more meaningful!
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