Waiting, Hope and Wonder by Michael Valliant Dark by 5:30 p.m. is not for everyone. Fleeting light, falling temperatures, the colors of fall starting to fade into bare branches, winter turning down the thermostat outside, and depending on the kind of year you’ve had, reckoning with the ending of the calendar year and what we have done and what we have left undone. At the same time, this can be a hopeful time of year, especially when we can find hope in waiting. On the Christian liturgical calendar, it is Advent, which is the begin-
ning of the new year. The theme for the season is waiting in hope. Unlike Walmart, Target, and other stores and online retailers everywhere, Advent is not Christmas—it’s a distinct season of preparing, of getting ready, not of inflatable lawn ornaments, wrapping paper, and holiday discounts. The first thing about hope is that it involves trust. For Christians, it’s a trust in the once and future coming of Christ. When we approach Advent, we
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