Advent

Wars are being fought... families are being torn apart... immigrants are dying in the desert... the sick lack people to care for them... children are hungry... natural disasters destroy whole cities... mothers are being encouraged to kill their unborn babies... the media spreads misinformation 24-hours a day...

There are times- and I hear this from other Christians often- that I want to stand up and shout, "THIS IS NOT HOW IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE!" But would anyone really listen? Could they hear me over the noise and chaos that permeates our world? Probably not.

The world was, for the most part, just as screwed up that first Christmas as it is now. But despite the chaos and confusion, God still entered the world...

Advent is a time to remember how God came into our world.

Crashing down into the violence... the fear... the chaos and confusion... the despair... God comes in the form of a small child. He is born on a silent night in the most humble of dwellings. He is not born into a royal family nor bring with him a conquering army... He simply comes... simply.

Imagine that small child- his lungs breathing their first breaths... his tiny heart beating as his mother holds him close... his eyes struggling to open for the first time.

The silence of that night, more than anything in history, has changed the world forever. We now have hope... God has not given up on us.

That Holy Silence from the first Christmas still echoes in our world. I am taking this advent to reflect upon this and open my heart to experience it. I wish you all a blessed Advent... live simply... listen for the deafening silence.

Peace turtles!