We wait in joyful hope. So begins the new church year, Cycle B, with the season of Advent. The Gospel of Mark will be our text for the next year of Sundays (along with liberal use of John next summer, since Mark is so brief). Prepare for themes of identity and secrecy, along with the role of discipleship and how, with Jesus, everything seems to happen “immediately”!

As Advent begins, moments of inner preparation are important. Give yourself enough undistracted time to focus on how these Advent readings speak to your heart. Light a candle (perhaps the Advent wreath). Close your eyes and breathe deeply, three breaths.

Some people love surprises. Others do everything in their power to organize their lives against the unexpected. If your idea of a great party is having guests leap out from behind the furniture when you arrive home to a dark house, then maybe you’ll love the end of the world, too. Because the eschaton is designed to be the surprise party to end all surprise parties.

“So keep a sharp lookout, for you don’t know the timetable. It’s like a man who takes a trip, leaving home and putting his servants in charge, each assigned a task, and commanding the gatekeeper to stand watch. So, stay at your post, watching.

She came to see me telling me she wanted to talk about the terrible difficulties her family was facing. Between her tears and her thick accent, she was not easy to understand. It was 20 minutes nonstop before she took a breath. And in that time, she had spoken almost entirely about herself. 

Our God is our help, and we call upon God by name.

Our God will come openly; our God will come and will not keep silent. The first coming of Christ the Lord, God’s Son and our God, was in obscurity; the second will be in the sight of the whole world.