Monday’s thoughts
“We’ll Never Be Prepared”
The first Sunday of Advent is December 2nd and I wanted to get out ahead of the confusion and craziness of the season to state what we all need to know before it all begins. Truly, we will never be prepared for Christmas. It will come to us before it should. We will be half finished with our preparation and will wonder how we will get through it. That’s just a given.
In fact, that’s appropriate to the meaning of the season. The story of the birth of Jesus is a story of unpreparedness. It’s the story of an Inn Keeper who hadn’t planned ahead; of a town that didn’t realize; of a young couple that had no way to be prepared for the birth of their baby. Ultimately, that’s what this season is directing us to see. We simply cannot prepare for it, and if we try too hard we will miss it when it comes. Oh, we may perform all the tasks we have been given, but we will surely miss the most important part. The most important part is the idea of “God with us” and the idea of “Incarnation; the word becoming flesh and dwelling among us”.
So we check our lists and we do what we think needs to be done and in the end we won’t get it all accomplished and that’s all right; that’s as it should be.
Advent is a season that promotes “selective incompetence”.
What, this year, can we set aside?
What, this year, can we neglect so we won’t miss Christmas?
Not relationships!
Not taking care of ourselves!
Not our spiritual journey!
Not prayer!
Not study!
What is on your list you could take off? What is on your list you must leave?
I’d love to hear from you. Write me at my email address which is charlesschuster@fcfumc.net. If it is not listed just click on the space to the left and it will come up. I think there is a way to let others see your comments and it’s via the “comments” box below.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Charles Schuster
