Friday, December 11, 2020
Susan Fockler
Preparations & Expectations
This past weekend in mid-coast Maine, we were expecting our first true snowstorm of winter 20-21, possibly four to eight inches. When one lives on a farm, there are many essential winter preparations and I had already done most of them: stacked five cords of wood in the woodshed, filled the barn loft with 350 bales of hay, had the snowblower serviced, and put the heater in the stock tank so the horses’ water wouldn’t freeze. But there were still a couple of small tasks to be done. I moved the gas grill into the garage, filled the bird feeders, and brought plenty of wood into the house.
Saturday evening, I felt confident that I was prepared for whatever Mother Nature might bring. The wind was howling. Rain was falling in sheets. I sat by the crackling fire with a glass of wine and a good book. My dog, Sadie, and cat, Roxie, dozed nearby.
About an inch of snow greeted me Sunday morning. Just enough to paint the fields white and brighten the landscape. Despite the howling wind, the power had stayed on. My preparations had allowed me to embrace the storm and enjoy the evening.
In Advent what preparations should we make in our spiritual lives to allow us to embrace Christmas? Can we transcend the earthly darkness and reach toward the light?
This past year our expectations of darkness—each of us has his or her own version—have grown to proportions reminiscent of September 2011. Not since 9/11 have we been so frightened of an unseeable enemy. Yet in Advent we are to prepare ourselves for the arrival of the Christ child. We expect that light will shine in the darkness of our world, where so many have lost loved ones, suffered the loss of jobs and health, longed to be with friends and family. We anticipate the joy of Christmas, preparing our bodies, minds, and spirits to welcome the light Christ brought into the world.
“O come, thou Dayspring come and cheer
Our spirits by thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.”