9 December 2009 No Comment

Advent is Waiting.

Why?

After yesterday’s post it hit me that much of the Christmas celebration is about being happy. Nothing wrong with that; I have been known to be happy myself on rare occasions….

Actually ‘happy’ is the wrong word: a better word is ‘Joy’. I think joy has within it happiness, sadness, exultation and longing.

One of the big words I hear in Advent is ‘Why?’ I hear it everytime I hear Mary’s song (Luke 1:46-55) with it’s dream that ‘how things are’ are not how they should, could or will be. I hear it everytime I read any of the Christmas accounts; increasingly I don’t see ‘Little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes’, cosy shepherds or snow covered, peaceful pastoral scenes…although I am cheap: I will willingly use any of the mawkish Victorian carols offered to me…. I can lull people into a false sense of security with them.

I couldn’t remain a Christian without ‘why?’… and I’m hoping to have this word in most of what I do this season. I wonder sometimes why it is not more prominent in worship/speaking…wonder why ‘why’ is something that people seemed scared of (‘Yeah we all have doubts…but lets just sing a little louder’)….

Part of an occasional series through what remains of Advent….