Advent – December 5, 2023

December 5, 2023

The Third Day of Advent

          Here we are, just in the third day of Advent, and I already feel the comfort of the sanctuary it has now become.  Yesterday afternoon I headed out to Trader Joe’s to get all the ingredients for homemade vegetable soup.  With the temperatures dipping it seemed more than appropriate, for me, it was necessary.  What I encountered, in my quest, was a sea of smiling faces.  The pace has quickened, yes; but still fluid, no pushing, no sour fixed expressions.  I spent some time talking with the lady checking me out and found it more than a pleasant exchange.  It was fun.  Sometimes, especially this time of year, I must admit, I tend to focus on the errand, the task at hand, avoiding, when possible, conversing with others, along the way.  This year it is different!  It was easy, nice in fact, to stop and talk for a while.  When I returned home, and put the soup on to simmer, I found myself slipping down the stairs to my quarters, in my son’s home.  And there it was.  The Advent wreath sat on the coffee table, the atmosphere was still, quiet, yet welcoming in so many inexplicable ways.  The energy of Advent embraced me.  It lives, and so do I.

          On this third day of Advent, 2023, the reading I have chosen is from Isaiah 7:13-14.

The Reading

December 5, 2023

 ^“Then Isaiah said, ‘Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel’.”  Isaiah 7:13-14