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“Walking in a Winter Wonder Land”
Friday morning as I went to walk my dog, I discovered a beautiful “winter wonderland” outside of my house. The snow had melted so the uneven piles were gone and the treacherous moments walking were almost nil, which made for a pleasant walk. And it was beautiful. The combination of the thick fog and the frost over the trees and grass made the park look like a painting. This winter wonderland made for a beautiful walk and got me singing about sleigh bells ringing, the bluebird that has flown south, and the good old snowman doubling as Parson Brown.
That is one of the things about this time of the year. There almost always seems to be a song “in the air,” whether it is about the toy soldiers on parade, the angels singing “gloria in excelsis deo,” or the silly, red nosed reindeer who wasn’t allowed to play reindeer games. The fact that these catchy jingles get stuck on repeat in my brain might be one of the reasons why I am not always the biggest fan of the incessant noise of our seasonal music choices. I don’t need really want to find my self singing some of these catchy songs – especially any Christmas song that uses “baby” in reference to anything other than Jesus!!
Yet, while this will certainly surprise my family, I am actually listening to Christmas songs on Spotify right now to help me write. It is getting me in the Spirit! You see, I found a Jazz Christmas playlist and it is working for me. A minute ago The First Noel was playing and I was tempted to sing along in my office. Right now I am tapping along to a version of Deck the Halls and enjoying it. I don’t need the words to put me in the Christmas spirit, I know them well enough already, but the piano, trumpet and guitar is doing plenty for me!! I am feeling the flow and I am writing this article which I meant to write on Tuesday!
But, this “flow” should be what happens during the Advent season if we do it right. Not the flow of whatever Christmas music is running through our head, but in the flow of what God is doing in the world. As we have been listening to the prophet Isaiah during this Advent season we have heard God’s promises of a great future. We have heard a prophet improvising about the wonderful promises of God’s chosen one, the Messiah, who was going to come and set the world to right. These promises were music to the ears of those who were were fearing the onslaught of the Assyrian people or those who were in exile in Babylon. As they heard these promises they were invited to sense what God was doing, to look for signs of new life, and to begin to sing along. They were invited to flow into God’s future with a sense of assurance and a trust in the future. And so are we.
Advent is a time where we come together to remind each other to slow down and prepare. To hear about ‘waiting for what God is going to do’ isn’t always easy, but it is better than going out on our own. When we take time to remind each other about what God is doing, we also encourage each other to allow the hope, peace, joy and love of this season to begin to flow in us. We work together to believe that God’s dream for the world will be here shortly. We gather to pray together for Jesus to come and set the world right! Then as we conspire together, we should be able to face unafraid the plans that we have made! Oh, I am in the flow, singing again:
Later on, we’ll conspire, As we dream by the fire
To face unafraid, The plans that we’ve made
Walking in a winter wonderland
So lets come together and walk not in a winter wonderland, but “Come, followers of Jesus, let’s walk in the light of the Lord!”
