Advent Reflections: First Sunday of Advent

The Collect

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. 

The Lessons

Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:24-37 

The Meditation

Through darkness void of starlight, the Traveler approached his destination. He was returning home. Home was defined not by a building or locality, but by the loved ones waiting. Though it seemed as if he and his beloved had been apart for so long,  at the same time it felt as if they had never been separated.

Suddenly, home was in sight. The house itself was dark, being the middle of the night. But then a single light was lit. And another. And still another. The Traveler  was not only expected, but his beloved had been watching for him! Doors opened wide to receive him, the front door of home, and the doors to the hearts and lives of the Traveler's beloved. The long awaited reunion had arrived.

Love Incarnate, Love the Judge, Love the Savior, bids us to watch.