Advent reflections

I grew up in a church where advent was acknowledged every December, usually through the lighting of candles on a wreath and small readings about the various aspects of advent. We attended a presbyterian church during our last year in Denver and one of my favorite parts of the year was celebrating advent. They provided each of us with an advent booklet, full of daily scripture readings and meditations on the meaning of advent. I have found myself looking forward to this season of advent ever since that time and it was nice to weave it in to our cross-cultural Christmas season in Peru. I love thinking about the anticipation and expectation that preceded the birth of Christ - the hope for redemption that was wrapped up in that bundled baby. While many Jews failed to realize that this was the Messiah they were waiting for, I find myself wanting to long for my Messiah the way they did. Advent is such a wonderful opportunity to reflect on that longing that we have within us for redemption, both now and in the future when Christ returns.

Redemption and restoration of this fallen world are two themes that have been carved into my heart during these first 5 months in Peru. We are exposed to so many more travesties and injustices in our work here than we were in Denver, though the entire world, suburbs or third-world, is oppressed with them. I have had to come to grips with the fact that I am not the savior of this world and no matter how hard we work, the injustices will continue. While that fact sometimes makes it feel like we're in a losing battle, my eyes have been forced to refocus on the hope for redemption that we have in Christ and the promise of full restoration that he offers to those who believe. The more I steep my heart in that concept, the more passionate I become about the work we're doing. For that reason I have come to love advent all the more. Its message aligns so well with the hope that we have for change through Christ and ultimate redemption in the future.

The other experience that impacted my advent season was the alignment of my trip home to Denver with Christmas Day. For months I had been looking forward to my Christmas journey, for weeks I'd been packing and preparing, and as the time line shifted to days I was giddy just thinking about it. As I took my seat for the second leg of my flight (the one that would bring me onto US soil), Christmas Eve passed over into Christmas Day. I was SO excited to be nearing my family and could hardly believe the day had come. I realized in that moment that this was the kind of anticipation that advent depicts. As we soared over the Pacific Ocean, I gained a clearer understand of the messages of advent as I began to picture that coming home experience as a metaphor for the anticipation of Christ's return and the celebration of his birth.

All of this comes several weeks after the end of advent, but I thought I'd put it out there nonetheless. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year. We've made it safely back to Arequipa and will be posting more frequently once again. Many blessings to you as we step into 2008!