Not Yet Ready

The weather app on my phone reported a brisk 16 degrees this morning when Chip and I left for the school bus stop.  We wore hats and coats, but were still caught off guard by just how nippy it was.  Yes, Thanksgiving was behind us; yes, the church had just been decorated for Christmas; yes, December would begin tomorrow.  Still, deep in our hearts, we were not ready for the arrival of the kind of temperatures that are not a fluke but are seasonally appropriate.  In short, we were not ready for it to be, well, winter.

Fortunately, the calendar tells us, winter won't be with us for another few weeks.  We have time to prepare.  This morning's chill weather was a sign, a signal, that the season is turning, that we should make ready.  Snow, and ice, and frigid spells are on their way.  But we can be ready.  We can lay in shovels and rock salt and fire wood and cocoa and all of the other things that will carry us through the winter.

Advent is like this.

It seems like we were just kicking off a new church program year.  Now we've just kicked off a new church liturgical year.  Before we know it, Baby Jesus will arrive.  Thankfully, blessedly, while we may not be ready for him, we have been given a sign, a reminder, that he is coming.  We may not be ready today, but we have time to remedy that.

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