KATHRYN ADAMS Ponder miracle of Christ

The Advent season is almost upon us. Not the season of Christmas, but the season of Advent.
"What's Advent?" you ask. Advent -- the four weeks before the celebration of Christmas -- literally means "coming." It is a special and sacred time set apart by the Christian church to prepare for the coming of the Christ child.
However, this sacred time of preparation is something easily forgotten as we approach what has probably become the most hectic, duty-filled, materialistic time of the year.
As soon as Thanksgiving dinner is finished, our thoughts move toward the celebration of Christmas. There is an excitement in the air, an anticipation of time spent with family, of gift-giving and receiving, the joy of colorfully lighted homes and trees and the unmistakable smell of evergreen that makes Advent one of the most special times of the year. It is important not to let the central purpose of these holy days fade into the background. Joy easily turns into frustration when parking spaces are few, the house hasn't been cleaned and responsibilities pile up.
Prophecy
The Hebrew Scriptures declare, "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. ... He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace." (Micah 5:2, 4-5)
The birth of Jesus Christ is what we remember, celebrate and honor during these upcoming days of Advent. We remember how God was at work in the life of a small, poor, unspectacular couple, choosing them as an earthly family for his son. Advent reminds us that God often gets his work done through people in simple, quiet ways.
We celebrate that God made himself known in a hurting, confused and broken world. God wanted to become one of us and walk the path we walk, so he chose to live as we do through Jesus.
We honor God for meeting us through the birth of his Son, for reaching out to us and showing us that we are indeed his beloved creation. Through Jesus the Word indeed became flesh.
Stop and reflect
When the days become frantic, when the traffic becomes chaotic, when the buying becomes overwhelming, perhaps it's time to pause and remember what we are truly called to be and do during this season -- to intentionally make these weeks before Christmas a time of spiritual preparation as we recall the greatest gift of all and honor the giver; to celebrate a miraculous birth which astounds us and continues to mystify us even today; to remember that in spite of the pain, fear and hopelessness we sometimes feel, God loves us, has a plan for our lives and seeks to make himself known. Advent is a time to listen and watch for God.
Discovery and growth
The French philosopher Teilhard de Chardin writes in his book "The Divine Milieu": "God does not offer himself to our finite beings as a thing all complete and ready to be embraced.
For us he is eternal discovery and eternal growth.
"The more we think we understand him, the more he reveals himself as otherwise. The more we think we hold him, the further he withdraws, drawing us into the depths of himself. The nearer we approach him through all the efforts of nature and grace, the more he increases, in one and the same movement, his attraction over our powers, and the receptivity of our powers to that divine attraction.
"The one point at which the divine milieu may be born, for each man, at any moment, is not a fixed point in the universe, but a moving center which we have to follow, like the Magi their star."
May this Advent be a time of continued discovery and growth for you as God continues to reveal himself through our worship, our reverence and our gestures of kindness and affection.
As the angel said, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11)
XThe Rev. Kathryn Adams is the head of Protestant Campus Ministry at Youngstown State University.