Joyful Anticipation…this year’s theme of Advent and Christmas.
I remember the annual trip to my Grandmother’s house. As a way to joke and pass the time, my sister and I had a tradition; starting about 20 minutes into an eight-hour drive, we would take turns asking this question to elicit sighs and giggles from the other passengers.
“Are we there yet?”
I am reminded of that because lately, “are we there yet” has been a repeating refrain in every aspect of my life. Of course, ‘tis the season, Advent is all about waiting. We watch and wait for how God will manifest this year. We wait and wonder, Jesus, are you here yet?
And waiting is culturally built into this time of year as well: waiting to sing Christmas carols, waiting to put up the Christmas tree, waiting for the next calendar day so that we can peep into the next advent calendar day, waiting for Santa, waiting for family and friends to gather for parties, waiting for that much-anticipated gift or tradition.
“Are we there yet?”
Approaching our third year with COVID, I keep wondering, are we
there yet? Are we done with the COVID-19 scare? When will it just be
part of our lives rather than disrupting plans, parties, and
general cheer?
“Are we there yet?”
This past October, the Lily foundation gifted me a sabbatical grant for a summer bike pilgrimage in England. I’m now in a training program to prepare for the 400-mile trip. It feels like I’m in the middle of a fitness grind, somewhere between 0 (the couch) and 25 miles. I am just short of the aerobic and muscle endurance to go on some of the rides I would really like to try.
“Are we there yet?”
My mother always answered our question with the same answer, whether we were entering my grandmother’s driveway or just pulling onto the highway. “Almost!” She would immediately follow this with a game of some sort, redirecting us to where we were in that moment. How many cows do you see? I spy something with my little eyes with the letter D. She was redirecting our annoying question and teaching us to look up and see where we were at that moment. To be “in the moment.”
As Christians in Advent, we are called to joyfully anticipate what is to come. “Are we there yet?” I can’t wait! We are also called to be in the space we inhabit now, fully and completely. If we are in a transition, to be in the in-between space fully so that we can anticipate joy, hope, and love without getting too caught up in our own expectations. I might not be able to take the ride I aspire to just yet, but when I make it up a big hill with a bit more ease than before, I can be proud of where I am now.
May your season be full of joyful anticipation. “Are we there yet?” Yes and not yet. Thanks be to God.
