Don't Rush the Season

Tomorrow is the second Sunday in the church's season called Advent.  Advent has four Sundays - the four before Christmas and it always seems to be overshadowed by the festivities and celebrations of Christmas.  But really Advent is a season that Christians should be celebrating with great gusto.  In Advent we look forward to the second coming of Jesus Christ - a moment when God returns to the earth to put everything that is wrong right. We should all be longing for that day.  There is not a human being alive who hasn't been touched by the issues of pain, suffering, death and evil.  As the scripture says:  "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us...creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay...the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time."  (Romans 8:18-22)  Rather than this moment being a great moment of rejoicing popular mythology has turned it into a moment of terror.  But surely the putting right of the whole of creation is not something to be terrified of but rather to rejoice in.  That is, unless you have a big stake in evil - unless you are a part of what has to be put right.  Then yes, terror is appropriate.  But I am going to assume that we have more to rejoice in than to be terrified of, so don't rush into the season of Christmas - take the time to celebrate Advent and all the wonderful things we can expect when the Lord returns.