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Waiting For The Light Of Christ

December 20, 2025

Isaiah 55:6-11/ Psalm 46/ Romans 3:21-28/ John 15:1-11

The phrase from today’s reading, “…Come now and look upon the works of the Lord…” brings to my mind this season of Advent. A time to prepare hearts and communities for the celebration of Christ’s birth. Now sunlight is fading and cold is creeping in…it is a time of waiting and slowing down. How do we “wait upon the Lord,” trusting in His plan, and in His timing?

To remember each day of Advent, the Advent calendar came to be. Perhaps your family adopted its use when you were young. A while ago I discovered a creative book about Advent,”All Creation Waits-The Advent Mystery of New Beginning.”  As a lover of nature, this book intrigued me and broadened my thoughts about this season…About God’s creatures speaking to us! The author wanted to give her children an Advent calendar of images that they could relate to, knowing their love of wildlife. She chose woodcuts of individual animals and accompanied each with a story of how that animal survives the darkness of winter, until the new beginning of spring! Each creature of God is a unique work of God, its own metaphor of adaptation. The bear finds a winter den. The painted turtle buries in the mud of a pond. The chickadees live on seeds they hid in the bark of trees. Chipmunks nap, waking occasionally to their stored seeds. Striped skunks curl together in a black and white ball. The porcupine shuffles to his hollow tree after feasting all night on the bark of a Beech tree. The squirrel chooses to be active all winter, depending on stashes of nuts, whose location he too remembers. The red fox is adept at hearing food under the snow. The red cardinal gets his color from eating red fruits and watches his weight, so he remains nimble to escape predators. And, of course, on the 25th day the calendar refers to angels telling shepherds there was a new one born who will bring peace to people. And when the shepherds found the child, they saw what creation was waiting for, a human who loved all creatures…Our blessed new beginning.

These images gave me inspiration to observe how I get through the darkness, and the season of ‘coming’ of Advent. I try to be conscious to slow down, to take time with the daily Advent readings. I take time to expand my mind and heart to open to the needs of myself and others. I pray for peace for all creation. How do you experience Advent? Might this blog inspire you to enhance your experience of this season of Advent, of new beginnings and the coming of light at Christmas…The light of Christ! 

J. Ireland