The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. Psalm 37:23-25
In his Daily Meditations for Advent, Richard Rohr writes: “It is not that the Word of God is threatening us with fire and brimstone, but rather it is saying that goodness is its own reward and evil is its own punishment...In short, we are not punished for our sins, but by our sins!”
Rohr captures the purpose of Advent. This is the first season of the Christian year, reminding us that the start of the Christian life is a reorientation toward God. Life is a journey. We are always moving. Nothing is static, even if life becomes slow, predictable and routine as it does for some. We are still aging, thinking, praying or not praying. Our lives collect the residue of the year. Words, experiences, events have a way of sticking with us. Imperceptibly the things that stick with us have a way of shaping our journey. Advent is a time to pause and consider the One who “comes to us” (the literal meaning of the word Advent) and reflect on whether our lives are moving toward God.
Advent is not about shaming us, as if the only reason God wants to come to us is to tell us what lousy job we’re doing. Advent simply invites us to think about where we are headed in life. Are we going where we want to end up, physically? Emotionally? Spiritually? If we have gotten off track (the analogy that best captures the meaning of sin), then God comes to meet us and help us get back on a track that moves toward God and toward a good life (the two are not mutually exclusive!).
We will think a lot about the journey motif this Advent. Our destination is Bethlehem. Just consider that idea for a moment before we begin our Advent journey on Sunday. Consider what it means to make Bethlehem your goal and use these questions to help you as you go there. Is my life moving toward places of birth? Toward possibility, something new, something better, something hopeful, or is it moving toward an expectation of things getting worse or at best, staying the same?
Is my life moving toward grace? Am I looking for “good news?” Do I yearn for goodness and am I going in a direction to find that?
Finally, and perhaps the most uncomfortable question of Advent, if nothing changes about my life, where can I expect to end up? Can I expect to find more love, mercy, and hope?
Alas, said Sherlock Holmes, the game is afoot. So let the journey begin, and I will,