What are you expecting?

In celebration of Advent, I should probably get an Advent Wreath (super serious advent). Or maybe a calendar (playful and jovial advent)?

Usually, the German Club at my school sells them, but come to think of it, I don’t know if my new school has a German Club. I did order some grapefruits awhile back though, so maybe I can use those instead? I mean, nothing says “Jesus is coming!” like a fruit that is hard to peel and squirts a vicious acidic juice in my eye.

Advent is an anticipation of what’s coming.

In that way, I’ve been adventing all year long. Or so it seems.
I recently switched schools. And, there’s a back story there (not a sketchy “I got caught stealing paper clips” back story, but a back story all the same) and that back story is the one of how God took me from one place to another unexpectedly.

I think that was some sort of blind advent season. I was waiting and anticipating without knowing it.

And now, for all intents and purposes, it’s an active advent. I am in full anticipation mode with my new school. I am waiting for the day when it feels normal, waiting for the day when I won’t feel new, waiting for the day when all seems comfortable. There are many prayers that are directed toward this end.

But, what if that’s not what this advent is about?

Is my hopeful anticipation for my life to go exactly as I plan? Is my advent about achieving normal as quickly as possible? Or, even worse, is my advent about being settled?

What if advent isn’t about getting exactly what we expect? What if advent is about the new thing that God is doing?

The more I think of it. The more I know that’s true.

What was expected was a king that would bring riches and triumph to the land. What they got was a baby in manger living a humble life. Yes, this baby would become the savior and hope to all people, but He wasn’t what people expected, so many turned away.

There’s a lesson in this. And, I’m on the fringes of it.

As we sit in advent this Christmas season, what is it that we are expecting? What is it that we are awaiting? And how we will respond when God performs in a way that we do not expect?