Advent IV 2022

Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved. (Psalm 80:3)

We tend to think of Advent as a season of waiting, which it is. However, the word itself means “coming,” making Advent an active season, rather than a passive one in this waiting. The primary action is through God emptying Himself and being born in human likeness. The humans also have their share of action in the stories surrounding Jesus’ birth: hearing and responding to angel visits, going to Bethlehem to see what has taken place, and in a pilgrimage from the east to pay him honor. We are active in our time too:  longing, seeking, and reconciling. Restoration is a process of renewal. It brings back to newness what has been broken, damaged, or worn, similar to an old piece of furniture that is brought back to life again in the hands of a skilled woodworker. Restoration can happen in our bodies as we heal from an injury. Restoration can happen in relationships between people, and between people and their God. In this season of Advent, we cry out for restoration, together with all of creation. Our world longs for restoration and God acts to bring it about.