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The
Double Bind of Advent
Advent is confusing.
Advent is adventure and surprise.
Advent is going places where you have never been before.
Advent is wonder and confusion.
Advent is a time when we want to run from God and be caught by God, both at the same time.
I know a couple who have loved for a long time. When it came to describing the way they met and the three dates they had before getting married, the relationship was described this way: He chased her until she caught him.
That's it! Run toward or away from God all you want and then, whammo! Some unsuspecting moment, God will go to whatever loving measure is needed to bend low enough, even as low as a cow trough, to get the simple message of love through to stubborn human hearts like ours. God will bend as low as your personal hell to lift you to the heaven that happens when you hear God say, I love you, not the way you ought to be, but just the way you are.
In time we will know that to run from or toward God does not matter, because always at the right time God will have the pleasure of tapping us on the shoulder when we need it most. Caught by grace, our tired feet will rest in the knowledge that finally everything will be all right even though it isn't much of the time right now. The hope of Advent is that our tired feet will teach us to run less and trust more in the God who pursues us with grace.
God, help us in this season to know:
Amen. So be it!
Peace to your Advent path,
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Lynnewood United Methodist Church
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