Advent, at least in church, starts with Jesus talking about the end of the world, and then quickly moves to a wild-eyed prophet, John, bellowing at us to change our hearts and live differently. All of which seems quite…jarring yet somehow appropriate right now – during this time when we are gripped by fear and uncertainty, when life seems precarious and the future unknown. And yet amidst all of this the church, as it has through centuries of turmoil and uncertainty continues to sing a song of hope, to light candles in the midst of the darkness, to profess love in a world that seems dominated by hate, to profess courage in a world that trades in fear.
How can we, the church do this? Can’t we see what is going on in the world around us? Well, yes, we can. We can see all that the world deals, all that we deal, and we can see that all of this does not have the last word. Because Advent ends, of course, with the coming of God-in-flesh. Because at heart, at the beginning and end of it all-everything-is the God who loves us so much that God became a vulnerable baby- who become one of us as a sign and promise that God would always be with us no matter what state the world was in. Does that mean there is no darkness? No. Does it mean that our lives will be a bed of roses? Of course not. But it means that Love Incarnate walks with us and in us. It means that God still very much alive and loose in the world. And it means that the darkness will never overwhelm the Light.
So join us at St. Peter’s in person or online as we prepare for the birth of the One who is with us even now, and who loves us always.
Blessings and peace,
Claire