Third Space

27 November 2018

For most people Advent is a time of calendars, chocolates, candles, countdown. But in its real sense Advent is about preparation, expectation, waiting, longing, desire, rhythm, hope. I love this time of year to pause and reflect on the coming of Jesus in so many ways. I love what Gerard Kelly says in his book Twitturgies in relation to Isaiah 9:1-7, an Old Testament passage looking forward with hope to the promised Messiah:
"There is a reason we celebrate Christmas at mid-winter and why it means so much to us. Approaching the year's end, in the darkest season, hope could so very easily run low. But something in our spirit says it needn't. In the fresh night air, under unnumbered stars, something tells us hope is real. We know our planet is deeply troubled. We see pain and loss around us. We sense the confusion suffering people feel. Yet deep inside we know that all is not lost. We dare to believe that somewhere in the universe, beyond the very stars we see, there is a force for love and good and redemption, and a reason for hope. The Bible has a name for this hope: the Messiah. Deep in midwinter, we long for his coming."