Advent: Rousing the Bones

Alessandro Viaro

Here we are again, back to the beginning, starting the story for a bujillionth time. Advent. Can we rouse the bones once more? 

Advent surges with hope — that beautiful, beleaguered word. Some of us have lost so much in our world, and the tally of what we’ve lost grows by the day.  We’ve lost compassion and goodness. We’ve lost our shared humanity, our faith in mercy’s long unfolding. We’ve lost respect. We’ve lost neighborliness. We’ve lost, if we ever had it to begin with, our sense of responsibility for one another.

But the grief that keeps me awake in the night, the sorrow I carry in my soul, is my fear that we’re losing the one thing we must never lose: hope.  Some of us have lost heart.

And so here Advent arrives, belligerent and unyielding. She stands amid the rubble of our history, our heartache. She stands unflinching in the face of our cynicism. She receives our wounds, our fears. And she clears her throat, invites us near and begins to recount again the story of Jesus: a crucified man who bore the weight of evil alone before an empire, a religious machine, a circle of friends who abandoned him when everything was on the line. Jesus, though fully acquainted with grief, would never surrender hope, could never surrender hope. Jesus knew that God wins in the end.

If you want to know why I’m a Christian, it’s this: Hope. Advent tells me the story over and over. Advent insists that God is acting in the world and that goodness gets the final say. Have hope. Light the candles. Sing the songs. Push against the darkness. Rouse those weary bones once more. Advent on.

10 Replies to “Advent: Rousing the Bones”

  1. Words have a way with words. As do you, brother, have a way with the words which reach the soul. Thank you for being the Father’s servant in a season that cries for Hope.

  2. I was wondering if you would continue your Advent writings. Been following for years and always look forward to your words, especially this season.

  3. Winn, as always, your words cut through the BS and go straight to the heart of the matter. The last couple weeks have seemed hopeless for our community. Thank you! I miss hearing your voice, in person. A place I plan to travel early in the new year is your fair city; light a candle for me. Grace and peace.

  4. I love this season of the year. I love Advent as it counts down to Jesus’ Birth. Thanks Winn for your words of hope and I like how you say push against the darkness, Yes! ”
    For we need a little Christmas, right this very moment!” J.Grogan

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