Advent is Coming
Last week, I was driving home after being at an event all day. It was the middle of rush hour, and the highway was full of travelers also making their way home at the end of the day. It wasn’t quite dark outside yet, but the sun was quickly setting and darkness would soon descend. As I took the exit ramp toward my destination, I noticed the line of cars ahead of me was quite long, and I anticipated it would take a few green lights to get through the intersection. I was listening to a podcast and looking forward to being out of traffic and home with my family.
The exit I took has space for one long line of cars that then branches into four turn lanes - two that go left and two that go right. Due to the volume of traffic, the single lane was backed up, and it was taking a minute to get to the area where cars could spread out and fill in the turn lanes. On the left side of my car, I noticed a large SUV bypass the single line of cars by driving out of bounds, and then winding its way into the space where the single lane expands into four.
I didn’t think that much about it. This type of thing feels pretty common. But then the driver in front of me got so angry. The SUV had whipped in front of his truck, and he was not happy about it. He rolled down his window and started screaming at the driver of the other vehicle. I could hear him yelling over the podcast and road noise. Then he stuck his hand out the window and flipped off the driver. We were at this red light for at least 3 minutes, and the entire time, he was screaming and giving the other driver the finger. His rage was evident.
When the light turned green, traffic fanned out, and I noticed the man who was angry, weaving in and out of traffic to stay near that other vehicle in order to keep shouting.
Two days later, I was exiting a different highway while running errands. It was Saturday, and a month until Christmas, so there was a lot of traffic. I was at the front of the line, but I needed to cross three lanes, so I waited for a lull in traffic to pull out. Instantly, the driver behind me laid on his horn and started shouting at me - it was nonstop until I turned.
In that moment, I experienced a lot of things inside my body. I began to panic, feeling like I had to go immediately. I felt angry that he couldn’t just be patient for 30 seconds, so I could safely cross traffic. I felt petty and wanted to sit there longer, making him wait. I felt afraid that he’d just slam his car into mine in his rage. The whole time, my heart was racing.
During both of these experiences, the rage demonstrated was palpable. All around, I’ve noticed anger simmering, exploding out of people. It feels volatile.
This coming Sunday, November 30, the season of Advent will begin. Many followers of Jesus will spend the next four weeks looking toward the arrival of Jesus. They will find ways to anchor themselves to hope while they wrestle with their longing for all things to be made new. Candles will be lit around the globe, growing in brightness each week as we draw closer to the celebration of Christmas.
Right now, the darkness feels especially dark. The whole world is weary.
The people of God waited for Jesus for a long, long time. All the while seeking hope, rescue, redemption, freedom, and salvation from those ruling over them. They were desperate, yet hopeful.
I think we are desperate too. Desperate for hope and peace. Desperate for justice. Desperate for humanity to treat each other as if the image of God within each of us really matters.
Much like all those years ago when Jesus first arrived on the scene, we are longing for light to break through.
On a different day last week, I was traveling on a side road when two beautiful deer bounded out from the trees. The sun was setting, and the light was a soft glow, a bit like a fairy tale. The first deer slowly made its way across the road and then gracefully jumped over a fence. The second followed close behind. In that moment, I slowed my car all the way down so as not to scare the deer. I marveled at their beauty and the delight of seeing them. The whole thing took my breath away. It was a beautiful moment of seeing God reflected in creation.
As we prepare for the Advent season ahead, may God meet us in the heaviness and open our eyes to more glimpses of beauty. May the light of Jesus grow brighter within us as we draw near to him.
~ Melissa