Advent Reflections - December 2: Hope

Hope

"Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting,

   “Clear the way through the wilderness
      for the Lord!
   Make a straight highway through the wasteland
      for our God!”

Isaiah 40:3

Reflection

As I settle into the flow of this morning, the rain is gently falling from the heavens and a cool breeze is flowing through my patio door, filling my soul with peace and hope. There is something about the rain that calms the spirit, as it cleanses the earth and the mind. I feel a sense of hope. Hope that the coming year will bring much needed change and encouragement for my self and our country and the earth. I feel hope.  

It's no secret that 2020 has been a difficult and challenging year for all of us. As we begin the Christmas season, many of us feel the bitter chill of isolation, loneliness and depression. Our emotions lay scattered, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that seem to have no connection. A few sections fall into place, but hope can seem to be that one segment of the puzzle that has no connection to the whole. 

 Each year I reflect on how the Christmas marketing onslaught seems begins earlier and earlier. Practically from the moment that the last Trick or Treater beckons at our doorsteps, we are inundated with an instantaneous assault of advertising and commercialism that can cause the person of strongest resolve to submit to the temptation of over consumption. Before we know it, we realize that our journey to Christmas has become a hectic blur through a wilderness of activity, shopping, spending and stress that leaves us exhausted and unfulfilled. If we're honest, many of us find ourselves longing for the Christmas season to quickly just pass us by. We may cling to hope, but in reality, we may realize that we've obtained very little. That's simple the reality of the times that we live in today. I feel overwhelming blessed that for this moment, I feel hope. And for the present moment, I feel grateful.       

Despite the struggles that we've faced in 2020, both individually and collectively, let us take a few moments in silence and meditation this morning. What are some of the things that you hope for today? This Christmas? This year? Close you eyes, take a few deep breaths and contemplate what hope means to you. In the quiet of this moment, as the rest of the world may seem to be rushing towards Christmas at full speed, let us commit ourselves to just slow down. Despite the pressure of things that we feel need to be accomplished and the places that we may need to be, let us allow ourselves to slow our pace in life. Let us find a fresh grounding of our spirits and obtain balance. 

Advent is a journey, but not all journeys require expediency. Hope may seem illusive, but hope often takes a great amount of time to come to fruition. But there also times when hope immediately and mysteriously out of nowhere. In the recess of our souls, let us imagine ourselves moving into the slow lane of seasonal traffic. See the road ahead of you. It’s clear, straight and illuminated with the universal light. The voice of the divine calls to us, far beyond all distractions saying, "Make a straight highway through the wasteland..."

Prayer

Most divine God of hope, in the stillness of this moment, grant peace to us in our minds, bodies and spirits. Let us feel the pace of life slow down, despite the rush of the Christmas Season. As we focus on you and you alone, enable us to keep the hope of our Christ nature alive in our hearts, and let it shine forth in infinite light for all to see. We all need illumination for the journeys that we face. Allow that light to shine for all to see, offering much needed hope for ourselves and the world around us.       

Peace. Shalom. Shanti. Hope.