In this season of Thanksgiving we pastors are thinking and preparing for the Advent season. Advent is a time of expectant waiting for the coming of Christ. There are only two Sundays between now and the beginning of Advent and I'm thinking, searching and working on sermons, Advent wreath liturgies, selecting hymns and carols, etc.
Our challenge today is to consider 5 things about Advent and then blog about them. This is a great exercise to stop and take time to savor the memories of Christmases past as well as reconnect with the idea of the coming celebration of the birth of our savior. Here is my list.
1. Oranges. I know that may sound weird, but I think of oranges when Christmas rolls around. My family was a poor family and so we didn't get a lot of the "exotic" fruits. This means that we didn't get fruit that we didn't grow. We did have plenty of strawberries, blackberries, plums, apples, and the like. Oranges were a special treat. I knew that on Christmas morning I would find an orange in my stocking. I also knew that mom would make that wonderful cranberry orange relish I loved.
2. The tree. We lived on a farm and never had an artificial tree. We also never bought a real one. Each Advent season my father would go out and find a tree on the farm, cut it and bring it home. I went with him a couple of times and I wish now that I had taken the opportunity to go every time. This means that we would always have a tree with a "bad side." I remember turning and decorating and turning and trimming branches and turning that tree until we had at least disguised the bad side. But the air was fragrant with cedar and the lights were pretty and together we had accomplished something.
3. I didn't grow up in a religious family. We went to church when I was very young but we didn't do it regularly. By the time my brother was born, we didn't go at all. Christmas became a time for me to think about decorations and making things pretty. It was a time when I got presents. It was also a time when we sang Christmas Carols at school and performed for our parents. We watched all the favorite Christmas shows on TV. I would study the Sears & Roebuck Christmas catalog and imagine what I would do if only I had THAT toy.
4. Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. These are the things I think about now when Advent comes around each year. Hope for the coming Kingdom of God through Jesus. Love for those who feel unloved as well as the Love of God that encourages and edifies. Joy at the knowledge that even in the chaos, I can be sure there is a plan. Even in the struggles, God is working to make things anew. Peace in knowing that I don't have to carry the burden alone. Knowing that in Christian fellowship, we carry the burden together. Knowing that God is ready to carry our burden if we would just allow it.
5. Oranges. The fragrance. The little bit of spray when peeling them. The juice and flavors exploding in my mouth. The fresh feeling that these things inspire remind me that Jesus makes all things new. Christ is coming to revive our spirits and make the world anew. I wait in joyful, hopeful, peaceful and loving expectation while I sit and sip my fresh squeezed orange juice.
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