As the clock draws close to midnight in the first places around the world churches will open their doors, their live stream to celebrate the Christ Mass, to celebrate the One who comes fully divine and fully human. Who comes to bring a peace. Not man made peace but lasting peace. As our eldest just said to me this morning that the thing he is finding hardest right now is trying to hold a growing understanding of the world while also holding onto Jesus being King but not coming in fullness yet to put right the myriad of injustices and heartbreak his eyes and mind are beginning to grasp. He, like so many of us, is growing in awareness of the now and not yet of Christmas. That yes we celebrate the coming of Christ but there is still a not yet to His coming. Our Christmas celebrations are a lived out faith, hope in the unseen. Hope in the One to come. Advent is not just these 4 weeks to Christmas Day but all of our days.
Praying that as we all continue our journey of Advent that gets peppered with moments of celebration. Christmas, Epiphany, Easter Sunday and Pentecost and others. Let’s not be quick to brush away Advent. Let’s come alongside each other in the now and not yet and remember there is a fullness of Christmas and Easter Sunday and Pentecost to come all rolled into one glorious eternity of living fully in Christ all as He means for us to live.
Joshua's Tree Rooted 