Coming To The Turn

The third Sunday is approaching and we'll get to light the pink candle. We round the bend and head for home for Advent 2010. Funny, but when I worked in broadcast sales, this was the date I always told my sellers they needed to have their goals met, because after about today, people tend to shift away from the heavy lifting and focus more on the holidays. We are drawn to what's to come, whether we're in it for our eternal life, or just looking forward to the toys. There are two weeks to go, but this Advent to date has been a journey of both hope and emptiness. Hope for the miracle of life that God created out of death, and emptiness because of the longing that comes from still being on the journey, still feeling the pain, the loneliness and, as David writes, truly knowing your sins; the 51st Psalm which we pray each Friday in morning prayers. When your friends start passing, you know your Advents are truly numbered. When your friends suffer from illness and loss, you know there is no escaping the path. And when your friends go through their personal valleys of death in a peaceful, almost joyful way, you know there is a God. It has indeed been a blessed Advent.