Clergy from left, Deacon Amy Schmuck, Deacon Cynthia Biddlecomb, retired, and The Rev. Mary Ann Hill. Photo by Nate Limback/ladailypost.com
By Deacon Cynthia Biddlecomb
MDiv (ELCA, retired)
This season of Advent can offer such a mix of emotions.
Excitement increases as we count the days on the Advent calendar leading up to Christmas Day. Seasonal music is heard everywhere we go. At home, we may be decorating a tree, setting up nativity scenes, putting up Christmas lights, or baking Christmas cookies. Each of these details heightens our anticipation of the big day, adding glimpses of joy to each day.
And yet, and yet… many of us remember loved ones, surrounding us this time of year, who are no longer with us. Even if we have people with whom we will gather this holiday, missing loved ones can be a source of sadness. For those of us unable to visit favorite people at this time of year, the season might bring grief or depression. Bittersweet may be the season if circumstances leave us on our own, lessening our joy at Christmas.
Joyful, but bittersweet. Already, but not yet. That’s the paradox of Advent. Each year we celebrate anew the birth of Jesus, the coming of Light into our times of darkness. We await that day of joy, even as we know, historically, it already was. What a gift was given the world on that holy night: grace and peace incarnate! Fixing our minds on this truth may get us through, uniting us with all the faithful who have gone before us.
With the memory of our departed loved ones brought to mind at this time of year, we can celebrate the good times with which we have been blessed. We can recreate within ourselves that sense of joy by renewing the traditions we once shared. We can invite others to share our traditions (and theirs) with us, joining us in the joy of the holiday.
Advent is a time of anticipation, a time to prepare for the day when we rejoice in the gift God gave the world: hope in our despair, light in our darkness, God’s love and grace incarnate, for the life of the world.
May your preparations for the newborn king bring you joy and bring back happy memories.
Editor’s note: ‘All Shall Be Well’ is a column written by local women clergy, including The Rev. Mary Ann Hill, Rector, Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church (momaryannhill@gmail.com); Deacon Amy Schmuck, Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church (deaconamy@bethluth.com); and ELCA Deacon Cynthia Biddlecomb, M.Div., retired (czoebidd@gmail.com).