I became a parent when our
first son was born, but months before that day my life began to change. Although Debbie did the heavy lifting, I was
also in a way pregnant. We anticipated
and prepared; we made a place in our home for our coming baby. We sketched out how the routine of our lives
would change. As the pregnancy
progressed, our lives were already being altered.
Advent is a period of
pregnancy in the rhythm of the church year.
We anticipate anew each year the coming of Jesus. We wonder what Mary and Joseph experienced
during this marvelous pregnancy that would change so many things. We dream about how Jesus grew into his
calling and then launched his ministry (Luke 1:80). We know where it all went and where it will yet go. Advent is about preparing ourselves to
participate in what Jesus began. What
did Jesus begin? In what are we
participating? Rudy Wiebe put it this
way:
Jesus
says in his society there is a new way for [people] to live:
You
show wisdom, by trusting people;
You
handle leadership, by serving;
You
handle offenders, by forgiving;
You
handle money, by sharing;
You
handle enemies, by loving
And
you handle violence, by suffering.
In
fact you have a whole new attitude toward everything, toward everybody. Toward
nature, toward the state in which you happen to live, toward women, toward
slaves, toward all and every single thing.
Because this is a Jesus society and you repent, not by feeling bad, but
by thinking differently. [The Blue Mountains of China (Toronto:
McClelland and Stewart, 1970) pp. 215-216.]
Pregnancy is the prelude
to parenthood. One quickly learns that
parenthood is about a great deal more than sharing pictures on Facebook and
buying cute baby clothes. Advent is the
prelude to Christmas. As we read
further in the story, one quickly realizes that the coming of Jesus is about a
great deal more than a cooing baby and some dough-eyed farm animals. It is about a new way of living, of being in
the world. This is what we are
preparing for during these weeks of anticipation.
James Kelsey
Advent 2012
