God created a garden – Eden and will restore that garden in the future. But our world, our garden, continues to fall apart. We, human beings, as the dominate species, have destroyed the garden that God created. We have destroyed that garden simply by being human.
Now we are waiting for Isaiah’s peaceable kingdom, the garden, to return. But it is up to us. This kingdom can’t return until we allow it grow within us. We must open our hearts; we must listen with our hearts – to hear the closeness of God’s presence, God’s rein. We must be quiet – listening to creation.
We can hear the song of creation, we simply have to slow down enough, open ourselves up enough to hear that song, the deafening silent song that all creation sings. The song that tells us of Eden and Isaiah’s Peaceable Kingdom.
Advent is about listening for that song. It is about waiting – actively waiting. Waiting for both the past and the future. Waiting for Eden and waiting, at the same time, for Isaiah’s Peaceable Kingdom.
Advent is about waiting for the past. Waiting for the beginning of creation. Waiting for Christ’s birth. And Advent is about waiting for the future, Christ’s return and the end times.
This double expectation of waiting – waiting for Jesus’ birth AND waiting for Christ’s Second Coming is what Advent is about.
Rev Scott Neal,
Saint James Arlington, Vermont