Keep Alert this Advent

During December, I find our kitchen filled with more baked goods than any month of the year.   As I write this I can smell a cake I have in the oven, and as usual my wife asked me how long it needed to bake, and as usual, I answered, “Until it’s done.”  I am aware that it is an annoying answer, but it may help to know that I was an artisan baker and a pastry chef, and so I know not to depend simply on a timer.  I remember giving the same answer to the interns that came from the culinary schools when they asked how long to bake something; I would never give even an approximate time until they understood that it is important to be able to use all one’s senses.  I found in the bakery and in the kitchen those that depended only on the timer were more likely to pull items early or late from the oven.  Thus I am not trying to be annoying, but true to my first vocation.

Now as a minister, I find some truths of baking to be relevant to understanding the Gospel.  Jesus even said, “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” (Matthew 13:33)  That parable is full of great meaning, especially the power of Christ’s Kingdom.  During December we are getting ready for Emmanuel, “God with us.”  The Christ Child will be born King of Kings.  Jesus comes into the world as a small baby, and yet with all the glory of His Kingdom.  This is a great miracle.

We hear about the number of shopping days and I know that children (and teachers) count the days until Christmas break.  We wait in lines and wait for packages.  We decorate our homes, our churches, our public spaces.  We bake and we eat.  All of this we do waiting for our Savior’s birth, every year during December. 

We are preparing ourselves for this great birth of this great King.  If we have an Advent calendar or wreath it seems we need to simply wait the specific number of days or weeks until December 25.  It is true that day will come if we are ready or not, but if we look at the wait simply as a means of getting there, we may miss the miracle.  Waiting and preparing requires us to be vigilant.

The season is about Jesus.  We are waiting for the incarnation and this does deserve the preparation and celebration each and every year.  However, our traditions can be like the timer in my kitchen.  If I depend on them alone I can experience the incarnation, but if I am vigilant in all ways I will certainly know Emmanuel, God with us.  Thus every year as I prepare for Christmas I am aware of the importance of keeping prepared to experience the reason for the season. “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” (Matthew 24:44) I will celebrate with my family and with all of you on December 25, but I will search with my soul for the miracle of the incarnation daily, and I will celebrate it whenever and wherever I find it.