For the Christian church, Advent marks the beginning of the church year. This is a time for waiting, watching and reflecting on who we are and who we shall be in the world.  Advent is also a time to appreciate preparation and restoration.   

As the darkness embraces us, it gives us room to grow and reflect. We can feel held after a long time of grieving our own personal and familial losses, as well as the heavy mourning of more than 800,000 deaths in the United States and millions around the world due to Covid-19. Here, we can look in our own mirrors and take stock of our lives and the life God would have for us. 

Take low. Be choiceful in your activity, if you are able, and do the interior work your soul must have, as the Rev. Dr. Katie Cannon would advise. Do things that sweep in happiness and joy. Unclench your jaw. Learn the places where you hold tension in your body. Seek beauty in art. Refresh your boundaries and relationships so that there are more roses and buds than thorns. 

In a culture of the fast and the reckless, and in a place where the efficient are often less than careful, let us take this time to reflect by doing a check of our hearts: Is love planted there? Is your heart bent toward compassion or protection? Let us check our spirits: Is your inner self so cluttered with obligation and busyness that you are missing the joy of living? Have you freed yourself from things and circumstances that make liberation difficult to achieve? Check your mind: Are you rehearsing things that simply aren’t true about yourself? Are you replaying words and events that damaged you before, and do the same with every visit? 

Reflection is a tool of the Spirit of God. I pray you use the coming days to explore who you are so that Christmas might reveal the unique beauty in you. This is sacred work. May you find within a universe of possibility and God’s grace. -Rev. Dr. Kelle Brown