“The space between Pumpkins and Santa”

My neighbors put up purple and orange Halloween lights in late September, and by early November their house was glowing red and green for Christmas.

I appreciate the festivity, but I am one who likes a bit of a respite between the two.

In part, that is to fully appreciate Thanksgiving, but also because of something called Advent.

Advent is the time before Christmas where many churches slow down to name what is real. It’s a time of waiting and preparing, but more than that, Advent depends on honesty.

You don’t have to be perfect or cheerful; you just have to be honest about the way things are.

Advent begins by acknowledging our longing rather than blasting out a fix. The Bible shows people, over and over again, struggling and waiting and hoping for some sign of God.

Advent message is, “Be patient. God is coming.” One tradition of Advent is lighting one more candle each of the four weeks, symbolizing the light of God breaking in slowly and steadily against the dark.

In my mind, this is more helpful than the immediate jump from pumpkins to Santa.

Advent teaches us something that we often forget in our culture of instant gratification, and that some things cannot be rushed.

We who live in an agricultural area know that it takes seeds time to produce a crop. When there is a school bus unloading and we’re in a hurry, tough, we have to wait.

When we have a medical question, we have to wait for the doctor to respond. That is especially difficult when one’s life hangs in the balance.

And anyone who has anticipated a baby knows the long stretch of waiting near the end.

Psalm 37 says, “Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices” (verse 7).

This Psalm could have been written for anyone who works hard to make an honest living and sees little reward, while someone else cheats and prospers, or anyone who struggles with anxiety through a difficult season.

Advent doesn’t say we have to have it all together. Advent says we have never had it together, and God still comes to us.

In the first Advent, God came to a world full of political tension and violence, and God comes to us in our world today. That’s how God has always worked.

Advent tells the truth about who we are and then, after we’ve seen the truth, it offers us hope.

It gives us permission to be honest about our struggles rather than rushing through them or hiding them.

Advent reminds us that God always shows up, often quietly or unexpected, but always faithfully.

That’s why I don’t like to go immediately from pumpkins to Santa. I like to spend time in the space between.

I like the slow lighting of candles in the deep darkness. I like to sit with the truth of how things are long enough to recognize hope when it comes.

This is the spiritual posture of Advent: stillness, patience, trusting God even when the world is not as it should be.

About the author: Rev. Sharon Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. She writes between church services, community events, and the constant supervision of her two dogs who believe they are the center of the liturgical calendar. They report they are good at waiting, but they’re wrong. Contact Sharon at tct@pageone-inc.com