Today we have a strange confluence of Church events. This morning we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Advent when we normally prepare to wait a little longer for the celebration of the Incarnation. We have, however, by liturgical rules and the calendar, run out of days before December 24th – Christmas Eve – which ushers in what is never a moveable feast: Christmas Day! So perhaps we are brought up short in our spiritual preparation and need to step back to assess our readiness.
For me, this is a moment of “Stop the world; I want to get off!” as I can already hear the preparations in full swing downstairs. As I look at lectionary readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, I hear again and again the promise of God’s faithfulness and know that these reminders will remain and even be strengthened during the Christmas season when the appearance of the Christ as a tiny child is the evidence. I need now to find moments of inner stillness in this day of heightened expectation, to stop and breathe into the great mystery of love that is unfolding in the silence.
Can we stay in the waiting while on the verge of the bursting forth? Only as we breathe the peace that we long for. Breathe now…just breathe…
The Sophia Center for Spirituality 