At the tail end of December we see the days are getting longer… 

More light is coming into the world.

It’s not just because the earth is shifting on its axis - but it’s because you have chosen to read this blog post - something you suspect might draw you closer to Christ.

As John 1 tells us, Jesus is the source of light. So the more we think about, gaze upon, talk about, and imitate Christ, the more that light flows into the world.

Our everyday practices of doing this - saying a quick prayer in the car or reading a page of a devotional on a coffee break - all allow more light to come into the world.

What’s that look like in our day today? How are we opening ourselves up to Jesus - and the light? 

Our church was broken into last night.

Yikes.

The culprit busted through the window opening in the music office, tramped around the building in muddy boots, set off every alarm, and was present when a parishioner responded, hanging around and chatting for 15 minutes, alleging he had walked in through an unlocked door.

Once he left (5’10, average build, bearded caucasian, with mouthwash on his breath), the scene of the break in was discovered. 

A canvass of the property revealed nothing was taken and no one was hurt.

Perhaps like you, I feel violated and vulnerable. While it’s not a trauma like rape, murder, or death, it’s still traumatic. 

This time of year is fraught with trauma. If we’ve lost a loved one or been divorced in 2017, it’s a year of ‘firsts,’ i.e. first Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. without ________. Or the holidays may dig up reminders of past trauma. 

And the notable thing about trauma is that we’re tempted to believe 1) it was all my fault, 2) this ruins everything, and 3) it’s bound to haunt me for life - it’s called personalization, pervasiveness, and persistence. Of course, it's mostly a lie.

A divorce, death, break in, or other traumatic event is rarely all our fault. It does not necessitate a negative impact in other areas of our lives. And we very well may get over it faster than we think. In the initial throes of a trauma it is important to heed the advice we hear in Sunday’s gospel: getting through trauma is not impossible with God.

As we approach the emotionality of Christmas, it is essential to remind ourselves of the detrimental affects of personalization, pervasiveness, and persistence found in traumatic events. God wants us to know we are often more resilient than we think, more capable than we think, and God is more present than we think. Our scars may run deep, but the love of God is always deeper. 

It’s snowing.

a) “Man, how inconvenient.”

b) “Look at the beauty of God’s creation.”

I’m going shopping.

a) “All those crowds, what a hassle.”

b) “Boy has God has blessed me with the means and ability to purchase things."

Time to make dinner.

a) “Just another chore to check off the list.”

b) “Thanks God for providing more than enough in a world where so many have so little.”

Going to the gym.

a) “Hope this goes by quickly and I don’t get injured.

b) “What a wonderful gift of health the Lord has given me."

Starting the diet.

a) “What a huge list of things I cannot eat, I’m gonna starve."

b) “Thanks Lord for the small exercises of self-control than will help me achieve my ambitions.”

All human events offer an a) and at least one b).

Call it over the top optimism, or at least courting Pollyanna, but at this time of year we look to John the Baptist who incessantly points us to b). He reminds us that a definition of a Christian is someone who finds Jesus in every person and event.

How are we doing here? How might we engage in finding God in what’s going on around us? Can we do this once a day? Looking for God in our unfolding lives is smart, it’s the pursuit of truth and is the true road to happiness. 

Think before you Tweet.

Look before you step.

Or pack at least a day before vacation.

These are all aspects of that perilously elusive word: preparation.

By this we mean a simple blend of foresight and anticipation by which we enter a meeting, vacation, or holiday, with a modicum of serenity at the possibility we have most of the bases covered.

There are two aspects to preparation: our actual state of preparedness and our feelings about our preparedness. We can guess which one is more important to cultivate.

We know that the secret of preparedness is not so much to be kitted out for every possibility, imagining every aspect of what could possibly go wrong, but to adopt a way of looking ahead with a latent knowing that the unexpected is bound to arise and in the end, all will be OK.

Let’s call it an Advent State of Mind. 

We adopt this by spending less time figuring out Plan A, B, and C… and more time living into the a settled contentment over the probable, settled outcome.

Advent preparation, then, means moving into a deeper understanding of God’s hand upon all we do and presence alongside us wherever we go.

So let us prepare for Advent with a fresh resolve to spend less energy on contingency planning, and more effort looking to Christ, in prayer, study, and meditation, contented that this is really the best way to prepare