Traveling the Advent Journey: Walking on Tiptoe

       Today we begin the journey of Advent. It’s a journey that—if traveled faithfully—will lead us to a place where we truly can welcome the coming Christ.
       If we take seriously the warning that the Christ will come at an unexpected hour, perhaps the best way we can travel our Advent journey is on tiptoe.
       Walking on tiptoe. Stretching and straining in anticipation of what wonder might lie ahead.
       How often do we travel our daily journeys with heads down, eyes riveted straight ahead? If there’s something out of the ordinary waiting along our path, we’d rather not see it. We live in a world that prefers the predictable to the surprising.

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       But watch young children when they go on a walk. Their eyes dart everywhere. They stretch and turn so as not to miss a single surprise that might be waiting for them. They understand what it means to walk on tiptoe.
       As we begin our Advent journey, may we free ourselves from the expected, the predictable, the routine. May we be open to the wonder and the amazement of God’s breaking into our world. May we stretch and strain to catch a glimpse of Christ’s coming—no matter how unexpected the hour.
       May we indeed walk on tiptoe.
                                                      Matthew 24:36-44
 O God, who comes to us in unexpected ways and at unexpected times, may we always be open to you. Surprise us with the good news that the Christ can come to us once again. Help us to clear away our predictable expectations and to wait in eager anticipation for what it truly means for you to enter our lives. We pray in the name of the coming Christ. Amen.
                                                                                                            KP