Advent 20: EXPECTATIONS--OR OTHERWISE

Expectation is one of those important Advent words.

Jesus encourages us, over and over, to live in the present thoughtfully and well; for in doing so we are preparing for the future.     

Then he told them a parable:  

"The land of a rich man produced abundantly.  

And he thought to himself, 'What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?'

  Then he said, 'I will do this:  I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, 

and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 

 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; 

relax, eat, drink, be merry.'  

But God said to him, 'You fool!  This very night your life is being demanded of you.  

And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'  

So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."

(Luke 12: 17-21)

Isn't that a great phrase, "Rich toward God?"

During Advent we try to focus on being "rich toward God;" living more deeply in the presence of God-with-us, even as we wait in expectation of God-soon-to-come-among-us.

Of course, expectation can also be a tricky word.

Because expectations get confounded.  Real wisdom, I suppose, includes an understanding of that.

My nephew Andy, who is a man of few words, likes everything organized in a certain way.  Routine is very important to him; crucial, even, since he has autism.  And inevitably, despite the best-laid plans, sometimes things get changed.  Andy knows this, and when upheaval happens he has the perfect, succinct response:   

"Unexpected."

My sisters and I have borrowed Andy's one word response for our own lexicon, and I can't speak for them, but I find uses for it constantly.  Amazing how it takes the sting out of an unwelcome surprise when you can just pause for a minute, consider what's happened, then maybe chuckle a bit and firmly label it "Unexpected!"  

Brilliant.  Thanks, Andy.

Whether you are focusing on your expectations of Christmas and all that that includes--

or whether you are dealing with the unexpected--

ONLY 7 MORE DAYS!