Tis the Season – An Advent Liturgy
Tis the Season for
Wish Lists
Children and adults alike wish for gifts under the tree and stores offer every incentive to fill these desires.
Yet many wishes are unspoken and unfulfilled – desires that cannot be put in a box and unwrapped on Christmas morning.
I have compiled my wish of wants and crave many things, yet my heart desires deeper things: healing, reconciliation, true connection, a place to settle and be known.
May the world come to know that every wish and desire, both written and unspoken, is fulfilled in You, O Lord God.
Tis the Season for
Drinking deeply and Eating abundantly
Recipes overflow the internet and neighbors boil, bake, and bartend throughout the day and night.
Yet many stomachs and hearts are empty – a need that seems too large to ever fill.
I long for the familiar foods and drinks that bring me comfort while I am in this foreign land, and I long to be filled by my people, but they are far away.
May the world drink deeply from the True Vine, the best wine at the banquet, the drink from which we will never be thirsty again.
May the world eat abundantly of the Bread of Life, the broken body of Christ, and the miraculous food that feeds multitudes beyond comprehension.
Tis the Season for
Parties
From offices to blocks to loved ones gathered around a table, the festivities fill our calendars and evenings.
Yet does all of the glamour distract from the hurt, loneliness, and discord that runs rampant through the streets?
I participate in the French fête and delight in the gaiety of the season, but the unrest in my soul and my body does not dissipate.
May the world know what it is to join in the Divine Dance of the Holy Trinity, the boundless joy of communing with You, and the inextinguishable hope for the never-ending festival in the new heavens and new earth.
Tis the Season for
Music
Familiar carols are sung all around the world in different languages, and the seasonal music fills grocery store aisles, concert halls, and homes.
Yet even the most beautiful song, though it stirs something deep within us, does not dispel the gloom that weighs heavy on hearts.
I delight in joining the choral harmonies, and I firmly believe (despite the controversy) that this genre of music can be listened to the whole year round! But even the moving melodies sometimes get stuck in my throat.
May the world raise our voices in the Song that Never Ends, worshipping the only One worthy of our praise, shoulder to shoulder with the saints and the angels.
Tis the season for
Romance
Mistletoe and merriment and the magic of true love is indelibly woven into the beautiful fabric of this season as part of the movies, music, and commercial culture.
Yet do the Instagram moments and movie magic display what is real?
For some, this time of year makes the ache and absence more painful and poignant.
For me, this year brings a subtle change to my parent’s beautifully romantic story I never tire of hearing: from the oft-repeated, “I was older when I met your father,” to “I was your age when I met your father.”
May the world be enveloped by the Lover of our souls, the One who brings true meaning to the overused word “love,” the sole Being who truly brings completeness.
Tis the season for
Sickness
Whether it be the common cold or the flu or the dreaded Covid-19, someone always has “something” and is passing it around.
Yet when the sniffles and coughs and fevers abate, the deeper root of all sickness remains.
I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. My soul groans for true and complete restoration.
May the world experience the Holistic Healing of body, mind, heart, and soul through Jehovah-Rapha, “the God who heals,” both in this time and fully in the time to come.
Tis the season for
Friendship
As friends old and new, near and far, connect to uniquely celebrate this season, raucous laughter brings a special sparkle to the end of the year.
Yet when the lights go out, the party ends, and the friends leave, does the darkness return and overwhelm?
I rejoice in my sweet friendships all over the world, and I wish I could gather all my kindred spirits together for one holly jolly holiday party, but this is impossible, so I am left with reminiscing on times past and the ache of missing them.
May the world enjoy the utter delight of calling the God, who created the heavens earth, our Friend, who never leaves or fails us, but loves us as His own soul.
Tis the season for
Family
Like the pristine picture on the cover of a magazine, a large family gathered around the Christmas tree can be one of the most beautiful and fulfilling moments in this life.
Yet the family unit can also inflict some of the deepest wounds and hurts, leaving gaping holes and bruises.
I praise God for His gift of my family, but as we shine the light on our family system, we can see the mud under the untouched snow and dig toward the fertile soil in hopes of a blooming Springtime.
May the world be free to call you Abba, Father, as your sons and daughters and truly understand a bit of the mystery of being adopted into Your Eternal Family, where there is no pain or sorrow, but only love, joy, and peace.
“Tis the Season,” and we will celebrate this season in all of its different facets and fun pieces. Yet, we hold in tension the joy and the pain, the light and the darkness, the communion and the separation, the good and the evil – coexisting in this chaotic season.
May the world be Indifferent* to the twinkling lights, festivities, and beauty of it all compared to the shining light of the beauty of the Christ child. May we be Indifferent to it all compared to the hope, faith, joy, and peace that is found in You, Lord Jesus.
*reference to the practice of Ignatian Indifference