Life is an Advent Season
“Life is a constant Advent season: we are continually waiting to become, to discover, to complete, to fulfill. Hope, struggle, fear, expectation and fulfillment are all part of our Advent experience.”
(Appleseeds.org)
This year has been a year of Advents for me, as I am sure it has been for many others too. Earlier in the year I felt the anguished waiting, like Mary’s mother Anne would have experienced, waiting for my daughter to give birth to her first child. There were long hours between communications from my daughter who had a difficult birth, but we were blessed that she and her daughter were well. As Wren, now 6 months, has reached each milestone, I’m re-living my own children’s infancy and filled with wonder how Mary coped in times when modern conveniences and educationally-approved toys were not invented.
We watch and marvel at Wren’s progress – every small miracle – at how such a vulnerable and helpless infant conquers each milestone. Mary’s heart must have been filled with joy for her infant, while simultaneously filled with the resignation that her boy would leave her side, to do great for humanity.
In August, my 89-year-old mother had a fall and broke her hip. She had been experiencing her own advent in the past few years, waiting for God to call her home. The family waited 3 weeks for a resolution for mum’s care while the hospital told us, ‘there was no room at the inn’ for her. I can’t imagine Mary and Joseph’s despair to be without shelter with an imminent birth. We despaired that mum was to be returned to the nursing home while she was actively dying. 6 days at the nursing home and all mum’s struggles, fears and perhaps hopes for death came to fruition. As we sat by mum’s side, we were blessed with a closeness and solidarity that week. It was an advent of sorts for each of us but in this grief-filled time, we also found joy and love.
Mary, our mother, Mary Potter and each of us have continually waited. We each wait for different things, but all hold importance for us. Our own advents. And while we wait, we turn to God, and we reflect, and we hope, and we plan. Mary Potter’s devotion was such that she didn’t make plans, much like Mary, our mother, who rode to a census without a birth plan. No birth plan! Unheard of these days! Mary Potter always put her trust in God’s plans – rather than her own. Mother Mary similarly left the planning to God, trusting that her betrothed would stand by her, and that what the angel had told her, would come to pass.
Advent, and Christmas, are reminders for us that we wait. We wait for the joys of the season and for some, they wait for this season to be over. We wait for the birth of Jesus, we wait for loved ones to return home for the holidays, we wait for all manner of things that are out of our control. This advent, think about what you wait for and hand this over to God. In your prayers for the festive season, keep in mind those who can’t hand over their plans, that they might be lightened by the realisation that they don’t walk their path, alone.
Keep in your prayers those that are facing their last Christmas that they might feel God’s love through wherever their Christmas season takes them.
Please feel free to click on this link to YouTube to hear this beautiful acapella rendition of, ‘Mary, did you know’ by Pentatonix. It aligns with our reflection of Mary considering her newborn’s future.