Lance Moore @ Ministry Matters Anticipation. You may remember the old ketchup commercial where Carly Simon sings the song "Anticipation" while the ketchup slowly hangs in midair. Anticipation should be a joyful feeling, not the feeling of anxiety and dread. But the feelings are similar in that whatever we expect, whether good or bad, is often surprising.One of my favorite jokes illustrates the connection between anticipation and surprise. Back in the wild West, a stranger stands at a saloon bar. Suddenly a cowboy runs into screaming, "Hey, everybody, Big Bad John is coming to town." Several others exclaim: "Big Bad John is the meanest, toughest, biggest outlaw in the West. Let's run for it." Everyone heads for the door except the stranger replies, "I don't know who he is, but he can't be all that big and bad. I'm not afraid." So the stranger and the bartender wait. Soon the saloon doors fly off their hinges, and a mountain of a man stomps through the door. Covered with scars and sporting a scowl, he demands a drink. The bartender meekly complies. The stranger nervously thinks to himself, "Now I wish I had run away; this guy is the biggest, meanest-looking outlaw I've ever seen." The outlaw downs the drink in one gulp, slams it down on the bar, then turns and looks the stranger coldly in the eye to announce, "I don't know about you, stranger, but I'm gettin' outta here. I don't wanna be here when Big Bad John comes in!"
Anticipation is usually followed with surprise! Most jokes have that same structure: anticipation, then surprise. We know something is coming but then it was not what we expected. There is something delightful about the formula. Children know it. That's why they love opening Christmas presents. They must look at those wrapped gifts for weeks of suspense, and only on Christmas morning do they receive the surprise.
If only we adults could reclaim some of the anticipation and surprise, the excitement and wonder, of a child's Christmas ... or of the very first Christmas. Admittedly, we know what is coming. We feel no anticipation about the coming of Christ; Christmas for some people is just another holiday, that same old time of year where we fight our way through stores, unpack our ornaments, and eat too much.
So we must work at it if we wish to reclaim the excitement of Advent. Paradoxically, one must work at it if we wish to reclaim the excitement of Advent. Paradoxically, one must prepare to be surprised. So I'm asking you in this Advent season to shift your perspective. Don't view Christmas as a mundane or repetitious holiday. Don't expect the "same old, same old." Don't rule out the miraculous and the startling; prepare your mind for the serendipitous joy of new insights, liberation, and the fulfillment of hope. Prepare to be surprised.
The gift of Christ at Christmas has come, and will come again. Anticipate that gift. Prepare for it. Don't let it get buried underneath the packages and tree trimmings. Don't walk past the eternal, oblivious in your worries of the temporal. Open your eyes. Watch for the signs. Bare and prepare your heart. Wait. The miracle is coming!