Adobe Stock_by Volodymyr
By Chris Uhler
A common theme in my house the last few months has been the addition of gift ideas to an ongoing list on my phone for my two boys. This list started small, but as the months have passed, it has grown to include every service vehicle and construction truck under the sun. From ambulances and police cars, to dump trucks and bulldozers, this list is exhaustive, long and expensive.
The contents of the list have caused my boys a lot of excitement as they hope to unwrap a present at Christmas this year and find the ambulance of their dreams within! Oh, what a joyous occasion that would be! Their wait is finally over, and they can add a new truck to their already large fleet of vehicles that make up our made-up town we affectionately call, “Uhler-vokia.”
In my childrens’ Christmas preparations, I have found myself reflecting on how I am preparing for Christmas. Not in the sense of expecting some sort of gift under the tree, but in the way that I am preparing myself through Advent to receive Jesus in a new and deeper way come Christmas.
What initially comes to mind when considering how I desire to enter into Advent with a child-like vision is expectancy. It is one thing for my kids to add toys they like to a list, but it is another thing when they come to know and expect that, because they are loved, they will be receiving gifts. Do we enter into Advent with a child-like expectancy in our hearts? Do we believe that Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe, loves us and is seeking out a relationship with us?
If so, we need to go through Advent expecting to be freed from the darkness and sin that envelops the world and our hearts. We need to recognize that it is Jesus Christ incarnate who has come to save us! Why? Because he loves us! This is the gift God gave to us. That his only Son came 2,000 years ago is readily available to us this Advent, and we should expect that an encounter with him will change us.
It is no secret that entering into Advent with a child-like expectancy is difficult. We all carry with us baggage and wounds that cloud our vision and deter us from receiving love and living life as God intends us to. Speaking from experience, it is often so difficult to allow Jesus and others into our lives because we are afraid of what it might require of us, or we see ourselves as unworthy of this kind of love. In this moment of our human frailty, I am led to consider the response of St. Joseph during the “first” Advent.
As a faithful Jewish man, Joseph was living with a great expectancy for the Messiah. But, I can imagine the shock when it became known to Joseph through the angel of God that he would play a role in the coming of the Savior of his people. Did Joseph feel worthy of this high calling? Of course not! He almost turned his back on Mary! Yet, after some assurance, he dove headfirst into the mission of bringing the Messiah into the world with Mary. Joseph was able to receive the love of God into his heart and mind, and through this found the very answer to the expectant longing for freedom so ingrained in his heart through Emmanuel, God with us.
So this begs a few questions.
Are we willing to take account of the longing in our hearts like children desiring a gift at Christmas?
Are we going to let our unworthiness and wounds deter us this Advent?
Or are we willing to dive into the expectancy for healing, freedom and love we all have?
The greatest gift ever given to the world in Jesus Christ is available to us. We ought to do our best to foster a spirit of expectancy like Joseph, so when Christmas morning comes, we can respond with a resounding “yes” to the Christ-child, as he longs to change our lives.
Chris Uhler teaches religion and oversees campus ministry for the Aberdeen Catholic schools.
