Today we stand on the eve of Thanksgiving, a very different Thanksgiving. I read that it is very difficult to find smaller turkeys in the stores this year. So many of us find ourselves gathering around smaller tables because loved ones are unable to travel to us and we are unable to travel to them. Frankly, it can feel like a bit of a strange and strained time to be thankful.
This Sunday is the first Sunday in the season of Advent. Advent is, among other things, a season of waiting. We have spent so many months waiting for this pandemic to pass, to be free of masks, to hug our friends, to gather in the sanctuary and worship together. Being told we are entering into yet another season of waiting may seem poignantly ironic.
But Advent is just the season we need right now. Advent is not just a season of waiting, it is also a season of expectation. We are expecting the arrival of Christ in our midst. We are getting our hearts and our homes ready for the miraculous arrival of our all-powerful God who comes to join us in all our human vulnerability.
The God we are expecting loves us enough to join us right here in the midst of all of our mortal turmoil. The God we are expecting has promised to make all things right. The God we are expecting will bring healing and wholeness to us all.
As we sit at smaller tables with smaller turkeys this year we can indeed still be thankful. The size of our God and God’s love for us has not changed nor the surety of God’s promises.
Happy Thanksgiving and welcome to Advent.
-Doug
