December 17, 2015 | III Advent, Thursday

Ps 50 [59, 60] or 33; Zech. 4:1-14, Rev. 4:9-5:5, Matt. 25:1-13

Psalm 33:20-22

Our soul waits for the Lord;
   he is our help and shield.
Our heart is glad in him,
   because we trust in his holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
   even as we hope in you.

Growing up, I always loved the Advent season. My family had traditions that we carried out each year that brought about my hopeful excitement in waiting for the birth of Jesus and the Christmas season. I loved seeing the Advent candles lit each Sunday at church, decorating gingerbread houses with my sister, riding around town with my parents to see the tacky Christmas lights, and having Christmas Eve brunch at my aunt and uncle's house. As I grew older and my family left Richmond, some traditions changed, but my hope and joy in waiting for Christmas remained.

Last year, I entered a chaplain residency program at MCV and experienced Advent quite differently. I was used to feeling joy, hope, and excitement as I waited for the birth of Christ.

Unlike past Advent seasons with those joyous traditions, I experienced more sadness and grief. As I stood with a group of young men at their dying mother's bedside on Christmas Eve, they explained to me that she had adopted each of them, despite having some financial difficulties herself. I felt both joy and sadness in this moment for the woman who had given an enormous gift to these young men, yet who would die far too young.

As we know, Jesus was not born into a world without suffering. It was quite the opposite, in fact. There was pain and there was suffering in addition to joy, just as there was at MCV on Christmas Eve. So during this Advent season, I wait with joy in my heart, but I also wait with the hope of Christ who sustains us in both of hopeful and difficult times.

Logan Taylor

Advent at St. Stephen's

Past meditations