Chaplain’s Corner: Advent – Waiting Out the Darkness

Our society’s transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas can be quite jarring. As soon as the dishes are done from the Thanksgiving meal we are hit by the blitz of advertising reminding us that there is no better time to buy Christmas gifts. Yard reindeer go up, retail stores cycle through their Christmas playlists, and every movie and commercial on TV seems to end with smiling families in matching sweaters around a Christmas tree.

But are we getting ahead of ourselves a bit? In the Christian calendar, the end of our Thanksgiving holiday also marks the start of Advent. It is not a season marked with jubilant celebration (that will come), but rather of waiting and anticipation.

It is a time to read the Old Testament prophets and to remember how long Israel cried out for a messiah during their years in captivity and exile. It is a willingness to set aside “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and join the haunting prayer of “O come O come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel.”

In Assisted Living we have set up an Advent wreath. Every Friday we will light a candle and read the designated scriptures. The four candles around the wreath represent hope, love, joy and peace. On Christmas day we will light the Christ candle in the center to celebrate Jesus entering our world and forever changing us.

We are living through a dark time of our own. We wait for a vaccine, we wait for political and economic stability, we wait for the day we can give hugs without the burden of fear and uncertainty. The waiting of Advent is not a passive task, sitting around distracting ourselves with wishful thinking. It is an active posture, in which we join with determination and hope, believing that God hears our cries, God cares and God saves.

Wherever you are this season, join us in lighting a candle every week and remember that “a light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5)
– Caley Ortman, Chaplain