I’m watching a commercial where the little girl looks out the window at the beautiful snow
falling down, but her mom is busy on the computer, her dad is on the phone and
her brother can't be distracted from his video game. She starts to walk
dejectedly up the stairs to her room when she sees Tick and Tock -- two cats in
her family's grandfather clock. She follows the cats to the clockmaker's shop
who says there's "lost time," "time that flies" and
"together time." She wishes she could get more of "together time"
so the clockmaker sends her back with a card. She presents her parents with a
card that promises that it's good for one hour of snowman building, and they
smile as they go outside to make their memories. Chick-fil-A says that it can
help give you and your family the gift of time. I
have to admit that I did shed a tear at the end of this commercial. I wonder
where that tear came from? Why did it strike such a sensitive spot?
Advent is about preparing
ourselves-for a most important event—the coming of Christ—whose date we cannot
know? None of us truly understands what it means that “the Son of Man will
come,” nor can we pinpoint the day when his kingdom will be fully realized.
There is no specific strategic action for us to take here. Rather, we are called
to develop habits that will make us and keep us spiritually fit and ready.
First among these is the habit of prayer.
My electric toothbrush has
a built-in two-minute timer that frees me to focus on the act of brushing
rather than on the passage of time. We might adopt such a mechanism as we
strive this Advent to prepare for Christ by deepening our prayer life.
The simple act of setting a smartphone or a kitchen timer to five
minutes—or ten, or twenty—will allow us to be fully present as we pray.
Within the frame of those five minutes—or ten, or twenty—we can express
regret, give thanks, ask a favor, pray for those we love. Instead of using this
time of year to exhaust our credit card limits, Advent becomes a time to spend
with Christ as we prepare our hearts for his coming by the daily practice of
prayer.
What is prayer? Prayer
doesn’t just happen when we kneel or put our hands together and focus and
expect things from God. Thinking positive and wishing good for others is a
prayer. When you hug a friend. That’s a prayer. When you cook something to
nourish family and friends. That’s a prayer. When we send off our dear and near
ones and say, ‘drive safely” or ‘be safe’. That’s a prayer. When you are
helping someone in need by giving your time and energy. You are praying. When
you forgive someone by your heart. That is prayer. Prayer is a vibration. A
feeling. A thought. Prayer is the voice of love, friendship, genuine
relationships. Prayer is an expression of your silent being.
Lord, I pray for all my
Sonshine Friends that they set their timers to experience your love, affection
and genuine desire to be our friend.
Here are some “Together Time” Advent ideas to celebrate the coming of Christ in serving others:
·
Shop
for a gift and donate to a local charity.
·
Visit
an elderly home and hand out homemade cookies.
·
Take
a few small gifts to a shelter for women and children.
·
Write
a letter to a family friend or some troops stationed overseas.
·
Drive
to a store that has a Salvation Army bell ringer just to donate (without going
into the store to buy anything!).
·
Buy
a small gift for a child in the long-term care wing of the children’s ward, and
bring a bouquet of flowers for his/her mother.
·
Serve
a meal together as a family at a local homeless shelter.
·
Clean
out your toy boxes and donate good quality items to an opportunity store.
·
Raid
the pantry for canned goods to donate to a charity.
·
Take
a plate of cookies and a homemade Christmas card to your veterinarian or animal shelter, library,
church, doctor or dentist office.
·
Anonymously
pay for the Santa photos of the person behind you in line at the mall.
·
Wear
Santa hats and take some doggie treats to your local shelter.
·
If
you go to the woods to chop a Christmas tree, buy an extra tree and bring one
home for a neighbor who may not have the resources to get their own.
·
Wear
Santa hats and take a garbage bag to clean up garbage from your neighborhood.
