Acting Bishop Girlinghouse: Needing Advent
“...The angel said to Zechariah, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John...’”
Every year I grumble about how early the Christmas shopping season starts (usually at “Christmas in July” sales!). We skip from Halloween to Christmas in a heartbeat. Thanksgiving barely gets honorable mention anymore. Except maybe in grocery stores.
Advent? Do people outside the church even know what that is anymore apart from advent calendars that serve as a “countdown to Christmas?” But, in today’s world where everything is fast, immediate and instantly available 24-7, I think we need the themes of Advent: waiting, watching and getting ready.
Advent is important to counter-balance the frantic pace of the “Holiday Season.” Zechariah had a hard time believing the good news that he and Elizabeth would have a son. As a result, he was rendered silent during those long months of waiting. In the process he learned something not only about waiting, trust and faith, but about the power and promise of God.
We need Advent to help us hear, really hear, above the din of the world, the good news of God coming among us on that first Christmas night. Of God’s great gift to us, of God coming among us, for you and for me and for all those yearning for a savior.
Peace,
Pastor Mike Girlinghouse
Acting Bishop
Grand Canyon Synod of the ELCA
