Advent
"...the people that sat in darkness have seen a great light." Matthew 4:16; Isaiah 9:2 Light again. An entire bloomin' season devoted to it. Matthew said that the folks sat (past tense) in darkness. Isaiah, somewhat more dramatically said they were walking. Matthew quoted Isaiah 750-800 years after the prophet wrote it. Goodness. Human longing for light, joy, peace never ends. Among Advent's persistent themes longing will do as well as light. This year I heard the same thing twice on the first Sunday, once in church and once in ready. We celebrate two comings of Jesus. One is the one is 4-6 BC in Bethlehem. The other is the one at the end, the one trailing clouds of glory. The pastor's question was this: Does the second one fill us with fear or dread? Shouldn't we long for it, pray for it, ask for it? The little Advent booklet we got at church had a question on day 1. When Jesus comes, what will you say to him? I began ...