Advent, the Christian season of “expectant waiting” in most Christian traditions, has interesting timing in the secular calendar.  Its positioning just before the new year begins usually serves as a prompt for me to start thinking not just about the coming Christ child, but about my own expectations for what’s next in my life. Sitting in church last Sunday morning watching the second candle of Advent being lit, I was reminded that Advent was and is also a community experience. The question then occurred to me, “Are we expecting anything as a congregation?”

In my experience, when it comes to expectations congregations often aspire to too little or too much. Perhaps this is because they also struggle with the more fundamental task of Advent: thoughtful, prayerful, reflective listening. We struggle to do this individually, so I suppose it’s no surprise that we struggle with this corporately as well. The ability to listen to the Spirit and to one another is crucial for a congregation that wants to live expectantly. Learning to listen can help both an individual and a congregation who are wrestling with “What’s next?” and “What is God calling me/us to be and do?”

I’m trying to find time and space individually this Advent to listen expectantly. As you celebrate Advent in your congregation this season, perhaps there’s a time and space—either during or even after Advent, for your congregation to do the same. Expectations, like hope, shape us and draw us forward. May this Advent fill you and your congregation with hope and expectation that brings forth new life.

Chris Gambill December 2010