Parallel Advents

Susan mentioned the other day that illustrators have created a picture of the coronavirus that’s too pretty. I was thinking they might make a marketable Christmas ornament. The whole world is in a season of Advent waiting expectantly for the most effective Covid 19 treatments and vaccines to arrive and free us from the cloud of the pandemic.

The weeks before Christmas in many church traditions are designated Advent – a time of watchful waiting. Our whole world is running in parallel with this in our watchful waiting for the end of the pandemic.

The spiritual watchfulness of the pre-Christmas season reminds us that God came to be with us in our longing to be free. To defeat the infectious power that produces the “unconscious impulses and drives that shape our personalities in harmful ways, making us perfectionists, procrastinators, deceivers, abusers, addicts, schemers, bullies, fanatics, adulterers, and all the other manifestations that afflict the human species from sources beyond our control.” (The Crucifixion Fleming Rutledge pg.195)

No matter where we live or who we are, we long for the end of the current pandemic. When will the vaccine be widely available to the whole world and remove the cloud of uncertainty under which we live? The power which Jesus’ birth unleashes in his life, death and resurrection is the response to the power which makes many of our responses to the pandemic fearful and self-destructive.

In a letter to the fledgling Church in Rome, the apostle writes;

But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. (Romans 8:20,21,26,27 NLT)

We are frustrated and groan at times with the state of things in our world. But that has been true even in the best of times and we are called to live and love and give, even when we are groaning.

If we don’t even know what to pray, it’s no wonder half the time we aren’t sure what to do. But we press on with hope. Our celebrations may be more measured at Christmas, but maybe that will be more in keeping with the humble birth story we celebrate.

I don’t want to be the Scrooge in our story but rather the shepherds who put down their mickeys and headed to a manger to worship joyfully and exuberantly even from their lowly status in society. We are restricted in some ways but not limited in our capacity for generosity, compassion and forgiveness in this double Advent season.

Blessings on you and yours and thank you for your continuing company on this journey of friendship with Jesus, the Father and the Spirit. I hope you enjoy the 2020 Prayers for Advent. There is a printable pdf at the bottom of the prayers.

Goodness of friendship still flourish in these cloudy days,

Norm