A Time of Waiting . . .

Almost winter 2014-2015. Winter arrives in our area on December 21st, 2014 at 6:03 p.m. (EST). Also know as the Winter Solstice. Where the sun has reached its lowest point on the horizon, with it also being our shortest day.



Then, after December 21st, the days will start growing longer.

The longer days means that soon spring will be here again. So for many of us, it will be a time of waiting. . .waiting for spring.

But it also means that that is our official first day of winter. For some that means skiing, sledding, snowmobiling, and hiking with snowshoes. And for some of my photographer friends it means searching out those treacherous frozen waterfalls for just the right shot or walking through a snow -covered forest hoping the snow from the branches doesn't give way and fall on your head or camera.

And for others, winter means knitting or reading by the cozy fire drinking hot cocoa. Or playing games on your iPad or computer. (I fall into the second category.) 

There's another anticipated event going on this season as well. For Christians, like myself, it's the time of Advent. I always had a hard time understanding the meaning of Advent. I know it's referred to as "waiting for the coming (arrival) of the birth our Savior, Jesus Christ", that we were promised. But how do we anticipate that waiting in terms of this day and age. While trying to come up with an analogy for this, I thought of how we know and "wait" for spring in the dark and gloomy winter months. We KNOW that spring will arrive in a few months. How do we know this? Because it's how the cyclical/seasonal calendar works. It's how nature works. It's how the earth revolves around the sun. And Advent is the promise that God made to his people that he would send a Savior.

As Christians, let us also be respectful of our Jewish friends and neighbors as they celebrate their religious Festival of Lights or Hanukkah. Our Christian roots are in the Jewish tradition. Jesus and his Apostles were Jewish and they practiced their faith religiously. And we should respect all peoples' beliefs whatever they may or may not be.

So for all of us, let us take a sign from the heavens and earth and let us use this time of "winter" to rest and rejuvenate so that come spring we will be ready to plow the earth, plant the seeds, and bring forth rich fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

"We cannot stop the winter or the summer from coming. We cannot stop the spring or the fall or make them other than they are. They are gifts from the universe that we cannot refuse. But we can choose what we will contribute to life when each arrives."

~Gary Zukav

Links:
First Day of Winter- Winter Solstice 2014
Wikipedia- Advent
Hanukkah 2014

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