NEWSLETTER In This Issue
From the Rector
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With the exception of preparing a nursery for a first child, I suspect that the most prepared-for event in most of our lives is Christmas. OK, even including nursery preparations, some people still put more thought into their Christmas season! Beyond the shopping, there are the Christmas Cards, the holiday parties, the trees, the music – even getting our special Christmas dishes washed up.
In This Issue
As we begin Advent, there are two dominate themes of the season before us: preparation and anticipation (a derivative of the concept of waiting). Every year it is a challenge for us – all of us – to fully prepare for and anticipate the arrival of God in the world in human flesh. The lure of holiday sales, a host of cute Santa figurines and a whole section of the store is enough to distract us from the roots of the season.
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This is nothing new. We talk about this struggle every year because… it’s a struggle every year! And as always, there are ways to be attentive and to approach Christmas in this season of Advent in very intentional ways. Anticipation is an interesting concept. One way of understanding anticipation is that it is a way of acting now that takes into account future action that is expected. That might be a mindset about what Christmas calls us to, and getting ourselves prepared for the shift that will take place in us. That might be filling ourselves up in order to pour ourselves out later. A runner, before a big race, may alter their training schedule in such a way that it maximizes their performance on the day of a race. That is anticipation.