It seems that we are always waiting for something or someone. Today I was waiting for the phone call of a dear friend from long ago so we can catch up on our lives. She had the women’s basketball game on in the background and was waiting to see how the UConn Huskies were doing. And she was waiting to find a new pet for her life-a senior pet for a senior person. As we talked we were both waiting for a special Christmas Show to come on TV later in the day. We also hoped for the time we could visit. All things worth waiting for. In this season we wait for the joy and excitement of the Christmas spirit in the very air we breathe. People seem more caring, and happier. Days seem brighter. Hope is in the air. Another friend is waiting to hear about a job, while my cousin Bob is awaiting his fifth great grand child! And I eagerly await for my love to visit later this month. Much that I plan is with that visit in mind. And so it is a natural and necessary part of life to wait, to anticipate, to hope.

Hope is exactly what the season of ADVENT that begins today is all about. The first of the four Advent candles is lighted. And we have three weeks of hoping ( the purple candles) and one of Joy ( The pink candle) as we anticipate the coming of Jesus on that first Christmas so long ago. During these weeks of waiting we hope to rekindle the faith to renew the world. We look to find ways to enact our faith and reach out to others in need of the true Christ-mas. We prepare for three comings: the birthday of the Christ of Christ-mas; the second coming of Christ, our Life and Redeemer of a broken world; and our own personal time of meeting the Lord when we are summonsed home. Most importantly in this season of Advent we work at keeping our hearts ready for our God’s appearance in our everyday lives.

On Saturday our Gospel reading warns us not to let our hearts “become drowsy….with the anxieties of everyday life” so that we miss the coming of Jesus (Luke 21:34). It is all too easy to become caught up in our lives so that we miss seeing God’s appearance. And in today’s Gospel Jesus tells us to “Be watchful! Be alert!” We do not know when Jesus will appear and we may be found sleeping so “Watch!” (Mark 13:33-37). In a busy holiday season as in our busy lives we become drowsy and fall asleep all too easily. And rest is important and can renew us, but our “drowsiness” may also overtake our interest and willingness to meet Jesus as He comes, in the faces of all we meet, in the faces of those we love and those who love us, and especially in the faces of the most needy around us, or in the wider world. When we see the face of our loved ones our hearts quicken and wake up so that we can reciprocate and initiate love.

May this Advent be a time when we rouse from the dullness or drowsiness that blinds us from seeing the face of Christ in our very midst. May we pray and meditate and read the Scriptures and other writings that open our hearts to meeting Jesus as he comes to us this Advent season. May we simply open our eyes and look around us with the eyes of love. Then Love will come to us on Christmas.

I look at this picture of our Good Shepherd Community of Christmas 11 years ago and am so thankful for the six beloved ones who are our angels now, guiding us from above. Oh, how we must love as we can every minute of every day. May we remain alert and watchful for the opportunity to love and serve. And to remain thankful for all the faces of Christ here and all around us that remain to guide and love us here and now.

May our loving God bless you this Advent season.

Pastor Judy Lee, RCWP

The Good Shepherd Community in Fort Myers, Florida

12/3/2023