Advent Poem

The "not yet" season

The season of preparing for Christ.

A time we almost miss in our eagness

To jump ahead to the joy of the Nativity.

It is not yet time for the Christ-Child

Not yet time for the shepherds, the angel song,

Mary, Joseph, the stable, the manger

The splendor, the rejoicing, the glory

Instead, a time to be attentive and focused,

A time for expectation and anticipation.

A season looking inward to the yearning of our hearts,

A time of introspection, of reflection,

Of seeking God's voice.

For Advent's gifts are in the waiting, the watching,

The deep mystery of searching and hungering,

Of reaching deep within to ache to see and hear and know

So that the promise will be revealed

In an ever brightening light.

For Advent is our time to tell God we are

Longing for the Messiah

And, in the darkness,

We create space for insight and vision

In the dimness we are anticipating

Welcoming the guest

As we journey toward the light,

Listening to the longing within.

For as God pieerces the darkenss and

The dawn brings its tender light

The darkness gives way to hope and promise

And newness of life.

And just ahead we hear the echoes:

"I am the light of the world.

Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness,

but will have the light of life."

Let the mystery of Advent unfold.