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| Lighting a candle of the Advent Wreath |
If we’re not careful, Christmas can come and go in a flurry of torn paper and overeating, so fast
that we miss the meaning. I’m telling
our students that if John the Baptist were among us today, he would warn us of
the danger of focusing too much on ourselves….what we want, and what we’re
going to get. Self-focus has a way of
blinding us to the core meaning of the Season.
As I write this, we’re lighting 2 candles of the Advent Wreath in school
Chapel, so the inexorable march to December 25 continues. I’ve done about half the things on my list
and the other half wants to send me into a panic. I can succumb to the anxiety, complete the
list, go beyond what is reasonable…over-achieve, over-compensate, over-do….but
at what cost? Let’s remember that Advent
began with the lighting of a candle and, while it’s not too late, perhaps we
can find other kinds of illumination to hold up against the backdrop of the
season’s cloud of frenzy. Here are some
ideas: grab some coffee, sit, listen and reflect upon a piece of sacred music,
be intentional about giving some of your time to a worthy cause, read the
Christmas story to someone you love, write in a journal about what Christmas
means to you and share with a trusted other, buy a gift for someone you don’t
know (i.e., Toys for Tots) and pray for that person or family. Being intentionally spiritual about Advent is
not one more thing on the list….it flavors and informs all the stuff we have to
do and, by the Grace of God, may lead to the sublime.
