Hello, friends, and welcome to this special Advent series of Speaking with Joy.

Advent begins this evening.

In Christian liturgy, the day doesn't begin with the hope of morning prayer,

but with the hesitation of Vespers, the gentle entreaties of evening prayer.

Today in St. Andrews, the sun will have been tucked in her seaside bed

for four hours when the priest's words finally ring out, making a new liturgical season.

The chilly, faithful churchgoers will huddle near each other, candles flickering in the darkness,

their visible breath rising against the stone walls of the church.

The priest will pray, lighten our darkness we beseech thee, O Lord, and by thy great

mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night. This is where we begin Advent,

in the dark and cold, waiting with held breath and strained

eyes for the coming of the light. Advent comes from the word Adventus, meaning arrival,

invasion or coming. The prophet Isaiah foresaw this coming, writing, The people walking in darkness have seen a great light,

and on those living in the land of deep darkness, a light has dawned.

Since the very earliest years of the Christian Church,

from the 5th century, or likely even before that,

Christians have kept the four weeks prior to Christmas holy,

a season of restraint, fasting, hope, and preparation, making room in our hearts for the coming

of Christ. For me personally, Advent is a favorite season, because it makes room for longing, a time to press into the desire for

things to be put right, a recognition that things are not right right now, that they're not as they

should be. It gives me a space to admit how much I want Jesus to come near and how far he can feel sometimes.

In Advent, we remember that Christ has come.

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