Advent is a time of reflection and preparation for the coming Christ in us and in the world. I know about preparation for a child well. For each of my three children the preparation has been different but important. In fact just 13 weeks ago we welcomed Lucas to the world. In the midst of much activity, he came and all of a sudden nothing else mattered but him.
Shortly after Lucas’ birth I received a call from a friend congratulating me on Lucas’ arrival and reminding me that when I was ready she had a place for me to “get away” and have a “day apart.”
That was over two months now. But this past Monday I got in the car and drove a few hours to have this time with God. I did not realized it when I set up this time but by the time it came it was desperately needed.
A colleague joined me in this time as a fellow companion and seeker. We sat, prayed, practiced much silence, and journaled along the way. Little by little that stuff that hides deep in our souls began to come to the surface.
I was tired, exhausted, and wondering about what was next. I needed a savior too!
By the time the afternoon came there was much clarity and a deep sense of calm. I’ve been with God. We had an opportunity to be together and chat about some very important things. Now I felt ready for what was unfolding in my life. Now I was ready to go back to life, to the everyday, knowing that God is there along the way, walking with me, even when I don’t realize it. I knew this already, but the truth is that all of us need this reminder in our lives.
All of us need “a day away” every now and then so that we can be reminded, as W Paul Jones tells us in A Season in the Desert, that in our living and practicing, the Christian life “emerges as pilgrimage, as we seek meaning through the sacralizing of time and space, with their intersection understood as revelation.” p. 48
In this renewal we are once again face to face with a God for whom real life matters and who takes that life and makes it holy.
As we continue waiting we long for the coming Christ who makes this renewal of time and space possible. May we take this time to reflect upon this promise and make this season a “season away” as we wait.