Four Weeks of Need

Advent is a crazy time.  For whatever reason, people are drawn to the church during the weeks leading up to Christmas.  Advent becomes a hurried time with so much going on, and the pressure of crafting worship that is especially welcoming and inclusive weighs on us.  At this time of year we are all, even pastors, caught up in our own stuff to the point that we worry less about others.  We  often forget, though, that this time of year is not a Hallmark experience for everyone.

For a lot of people, the Christmas holidays are a time of darkness, loneliness and pain.  The church tries to speak to this situation with longest night services, but we need to do more.  As brothers and sisters in Christ, we heed to hold tight to others during this time.  Advent can and should be a time in which we practice hospitality and caring for others.  This is an especially hard time for those who have been estranged from the worshiping community and it is incumbent on us to open our doors, arms and hearts even wider at this time of year.

I know this is a time of year when we feel entitled to focus on ourselves and our family.  I don't want to take away from that focus, but we also need to be mindful of those who don't have family, who are estranged from friends.  This is a time of year that is filled with demands on our time and energy, but we are called to care for others-that's why Christ came.