Make Time and Room for Christ During Advent

Sometimes in the midst of holidays, I catch myself forgetting to pause long enough to give God what I would like to call a “sufficient thank you.” I know we should always give thanks, but during holidays such as Thanksgiving, I get so involved in the nuts and bolts of food preparation and even home preparation that I fail to make time to intentionally spend time with God and express a true heartfelt thanks to God. It’s ironic that during such a time, I am distracted by things that are good things in and of themselves (such as plentiful food, exceptional hospitality, meeting the needs of each and every guest), but that little time for actual giving thanks occurs to the One who is the source of all these good things.

This year for us seemed like an exceptional year for the annual Thanksgiving meal. Everything seemed perfect, and everyone who ate at our table contributed in fine fashion. However, at the end of the day, we were so exhausted with the various tasks we all had undertaken, that we almost missed out on the one thing that everyone had looked forward to doing – playing table games with each other. The annual routines that we thought were necessary for a successful gathering almost resulted in no time devoted to the relationships that families need in order to be vibrant and healthy. I was reminded of the story of Mary and Martha in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 10: 38-42) where Martha was distracted with all the preparations regarding Jesus’ visit, and then complained to him about Mary’s lack of help. Jesus told Martha that Mary had made the better choice: Mary chose to be present with Jesus. He wasn’t condemning Martha for her hard work or preparations, but he was reminding Martha that it is more important for us to spend time with Him.

Christina Rossetti was a 19th century poet and author. One of her notable poems was ultimately entitled “Love Came Down at Christmas.” This poem, which would later become a Christmas carol, speaks of God’s love for us in the Incarnation but also inspires us to love both God and our fellow humans in return. It’s another reminder to make “the better choice.”

There are a lot of good and fun things planned for December. The marketplace proclaims it is already Christmas and that happiness is in shopping and parties. The reality for the faithful, though, is that it is Advent, and not yet Christmas. Love came down at Christmas in the form of Jesus. God incarnate in Jesus is the gift of love that is crucial to our relationship with God. God came into the world as one of us so that we might experience God in new and life-changing ways. Advent is an intentional time of preparing. We prepare not only for the Christ-child to be born anew, but for the expected return of Jesus when all things will be put in their right order.

We need this season of preparation. We need to be reminded what is the better choice. We need the power and presence of God to be prepared for Jesus in his comings like Mary did. The world doesn’t want to hear the message and probably doesn’t want you to either. But we celebrate Advent and we prepare our hearts to receive Christ. Don’t take God or God’s love for granted. Do make faithful and faith-filled choices. Make sure your preparations include making time and room for Christ during Advent, so that when “love comes down,” you know you made the better choice.

See you in worship!
Brian