In Advent, the Church reminds us that we are people living between two great events, the coming of Jesus as a child in Bethlehem and His second coming at the end of time. The first was in humility and obscurity, the second will be in power and glory. The readings in Advent help us to “think big†and to have a Christian view of time. Our lives, and all life as we know it, are moving towards a goal. The human race is not heading for extinction, as some predict, but towards the final victory of God. The message of Advent calls us to remember constantly that we live in the time between the first coming of Jesus and His second coming. He tells us to “stay awake†not in a frightened way but in the sense of being always alert to the truth He spoke and that He embodies. Our Christian hope is cosmic as well as personal. Jesus will make all things new, raise the dead, and free the universe from its bondage to decay. No wonder that He tells us to watch and pray, and keep our Christian hope alive.
Good and gracious God, You know how much clutter fills my mind and heart these days. Help me to pay attention to Your presence in my life. Help me to look for and find opportunities this Advent to become more aware of how You touch my life each day. May I become evermore a sign of Your love in the world. Amen.