Advent Every Day
Written by Kylee Higgins
What is your last memory of having to wait for something? Maybe it was a new pair of shoes or the new car you were looking at in the lot. Or like most of us, we waited excitedly for the holiday menu at Starbucks and this year’s Hallmark Christmas movies.
But when was the last time your heart really desired something that you couldn’t have just yet?
For me, it was a kitten. Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of having my own cat. I desperately wanted a furry companion to love, train, and snuggle with. There were seasons in my life where I would find myself at the animal shelter, petting cats, imagining what it would be like to actually take one home. It soon became one of my main goals in life—the deepest desire of my heart. Then, at twenty years old, I was finally at a place in my life where I was able to bring home my very own feline friend. I cried when I met him. I cried on the first drive home. I cried nearly the entire first day we spent together. My season of waiting had finally paid off.
What does a season of waiting look like for you? Take a moment to reflect. Is it passive or active? Is it positive or negative? Is it all consuming or a thought in the back of your mind? What happens when your season of waiting is over?
I wonder how many people, myself included, live the Advent season in expectancy, but neglect to acknowledge the presence of God in their daily activities.
In the Christian Church, Advent is described as the four Sundays before Christmas. It is a season of expectant waiting and preparation for the Second Coming of Christ mirrored after the anticipation of his birth. For us today, tension builds and excitement rises as we wait to celebrate with our families and loved ones the birth of the Savior of the world. Houses are decorated, special meals are cooked, people travel all over the world, and churches prepare to welcome the masses to tell the story of Jesus Christ. During this busy Advent season in 2018, I want to pose a challenging question: is Advent just a season or can it be a lifestyle?
I wonder how many people, myself included, live the Advent season in expectancy, but neglect to acknowledge the presence of God in their daily activities.
Christ embodied humanity and gave us His Spirit so that we might experience His goodness not just during Christmas, but every day. Practicing the Advent season for His Second Coming can teach us that the gift of His presence has already been given—that our waiting season in every way but a physical sense is over.
If you think back to the questions posed earlier, do you wait for God the same way that you wait for something material? Are you avidly seeking out God the same way that you are a new car, the new Starbucks drink, or a kitten? What if we made the same posture of expectancy toward God as we do with the material things we seek? Looking for God in the everyday is not a question of whether or not God is there, but a question of whether we will choose to recognize that He is at work.
I would call this an attitude of perpetual Advent, expecting Him to show at any moment, regardless of the season.
Zephaniah 3:17 states that, “The Lord your God is in your midst.” Whether we are aware of His presence or not, our God is steadfast and at work, orchestrating even the smallest moments of our lives. Do you see Him? Do you see where He has touched? Where He has breathed life? Where He has comforted you in moments of doubt? Do you see Him in every moment?
The answer to this question of attentiveness can be summed up in one phrase: sanctify the mundane. Look for God in the ordinary moments of life. Acknowledge Him in the coffee shop, in the car, in the church pew next to you. The more frequently you take this posture of reflection and recognition, the more natural it becomes to sense the presence of God. The reality is, God wants to encounter you in every moment of every day. In this season, He may not be in the raging wind but in the still small voice—calling you into deeper relationship with Him—if we are willing to listen and truly wait on Him.
Below I have included some resources that have helped me in this journey of seeking perpetual Advent:
Reflection Questions
- Where did you sense the presence of God today?
- Where did it seem like God showed up?
- Where did it seem like God was absent?
- Was there a moment when you felt as if God was speaking to you?
- Where in your day tomorrow could you take a moment of silence and reflection?
- What were the moments today in which you can thank God?
Books
Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison
Reimagining the Ignatian Examen by Mark Thibodeaux
Apps
Reimagining the Examen
*Derived from a lecture presented by Dr. Amanda Drury
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