“Advent allows us to recover during this four-week journey. It begins four Sundays before Christmas all the way up to Christmas. It lets us breath in those moments of faithfulness and helps us recognize that God is working.” ~ Louie Giglio
I had a hard time deciding to use this quote. I read it and thought, perhaps, that I had misread it. I searched many sources to make sure that no word(s) had been left out from the original quote. It just seemed so strange to me. Recover from what?
Are we recovering as in someone who is sick? Are we recovering as in someone overwhelmed with the world and has lost his or her spiritual track? Are we recovering as in getting something back? I think, perhaps, all three.
Advent allows us to recover when we have pledged ourselves too deeply to the lures of the world. When we try to deny the world and return to the Lord, there is a withdrawal that takes place similar to the withdrawal of an addict. We miss the world. We long for the world. We would do anything to get back to the promises of the world. Our spiritual recovery is a part of the dynamic of Advent.
Our Advent journey also helps us to recover some of the spiritual practices that we may have lost and/or tarnished. It is hard to be spiritual people in a material world. (Do you want me to prove to you how hard? As I typed that last sentence, I started singing Madonna’s “Material Girl” in my head. THAT is what the world does to us! I’m trying to write a spiritual reflection and my mind goes to secular singing.)
Advent challenges us to get close to God. Breathe in those moments of faithfulness, glory in them, relish them as you pray, read, or sing. Allow God to pour His graces into you instead of refusing them. Then, look ahead to what remains of the season.
One week to go!
FAITH ACTION: Examine your Advent journey thus far and make plans for next week so that you can be as prepared as possible for Christmas.