Advent Reflections, Day 8
“If only God can bring peace and good will, if only God can create “a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells,” then what is the point in our doing anything? If there’s nothing we can do to improve the situation, then we really might as well withdraw into a private world of gated communities, exclusive clubs, and personal privilege and enjoy it as best we can before we are overtaken by cancer or senility.
Here’s where the ‘action in waiting’ comes in, the ‘hastening.’ It’s all a matter of what we’re pointing toward... the apostolic writer says, ‘We have the prophetic word made more sure...Pay attention to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.’ There’s the Advent message, right there.
Hark, a thrilling voice is sounding;
Christ is nigh, it seems to say;
Cast away the works of darkness,
O ye children of the day!
The church responds to the ‘thrilling voice’ by doing the works of the day, the works of the light, the ministry to the prisoners, the soup and the sandwiches for the hungry, the houses for the low-income families, the birthday parties for the children who have no parties. These are lamps shining in dark places. These are the works that glorify Christ while we wait for him. This is action while waiting.”
Photo by Dino Reichmuth on Unsplash
