The "Advent Word" practice is a daily meditation on a given word and an opportunity to share that reflection on social media with others who are keeping this practice. It's akin to an Advent calendar, but with many boxes to open on a given day. Sometimes the reflections are sincere, and sometimes they're a little silly, but at the end of the day, it's a practice set aside to help us observe the season of Advent in the midst of the world's busyness. With all of that in mind, this is going to be my attempt to observe the Advent Word practice. I wish I could promise a reflection every day, and we'll see where this goes together.
Most of you are aware that at St. Paul's we have a generous "open-door policy" in terms of office doors. If you come around, and one of the doors is open, you are welcome to come in and visit for a bit. Sometimes we'll have the door shut because of a call or because we're working on something, and Katherine will let you know whether it's a good idea to knock on the door or not. It's a joy and an honor and one of the great privileges of ministry to get to know your stories, and we all love to know that you're comfortable enough to come around during the week, too. For years, we've had someone come around a few times a week to sit and chat, and over that time, I've pieced together a bit about him and his faith, and we've built a relationship of trust that only comes through shared time together.
Often, I'll bump into one of you across the street at Carpe Diem, and many times that's led to an extended visit. In those moments, I get to learn about what's happening in the the life of your kids; learn about your plans for the holidays; learn about whatever else might be going on. It's more than a Sunday morning conversation, and it's less formal than a scheduled appointment. It's a moment of grace where we get to meet other where we are and share in a moment of fellowship.
As we continue through the season of Advent, make time in your life for these visits with those around you. It's a busy time, but part of the point of this season of preparation to make sure we slow down and get ready for something just over the horizon (per Father Pete's sermon yesterday). Making time for a visit to build or strengthen a relationship, or just to have a conversation with someone, is part of the preparation.
NB - In the writing of reflection, there were multiple people who came through the office, so it was nice to see that I wasn't imagining something that wasn’t really happening. :)
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