Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Nov/85

Contributor - Freda Witteveen

Title - Calling "Advent"urers

Topic - Women, Advent

An astronaut on a mission into the dark reaches of space; Marco Polo's expedition to the mysteries of the Orient; the drive of skilled mountain climbers to reach the snowy peaks of Everest or the Matterhorn; my embarking on a subway journey into the heart of Toronto, all of these constitute what we would consider adventures.

The World Book Dictionary defines "adventure" as an exciting or unusual experience, a bold undertaking, exciting and somewhat dangerous. The word derives from old French and Latin words meaning about to happen, to come.

"There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him the spirit of wisdom and understanding the spirit of counsel and might the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the lord And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord

It is, then, by word association that we often think of the word "Advent" and its season in terms of the word "adventure". Advent is the beginning of the Christian year and can thus be considered the beginning of an adventure for the believer. Christians are to view the weeks before Christmas Day as an exciting adventure, a bold undertaking.

An adventure can occur spontaneouslv but more often is planned in advance, such as a camping trip or journeying by plane to an exotic location. Excitement begins to build as we anticipate the event. We become highly involved in detailed preparation; our whole lives seem to revolve around this one goal and the adventure becomes all encompassing. We count down the days.

Thus we prepare in Advent for a great Christian adventure, the greeting of our Messiah, our King of Kings. We become suspenseful as the day of His coming approaches and our excitement and enthusiasm cannot be held in check- The intensity of feeling at this marvelous event must be visible to all around us. The adventure is not for the timid, the withdrawn.

Behold, the days are coming. says the Lord when I will fulfil the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring forth for David and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land

In this situation where we anticipate and prepare for the Advent adventure, we remain in control and we do not allow the extraneous trappings of the earthly Christmas celebration to overcome out focus and take control of us. We are faithfully keeping Christmas; it is not devouring us.

Our preparation will include prayer, reading of the Scripture (some of the most beautiful passages in the Bible, I believe), singing of hymns and carols, making use of Advent programs, and taking part in the functions the church has to offer. If the focus of our Christmas activity is not the Christ Child, then you do not have time for it.

In these ways, perhaps we can retain the feeling of joy and excitement that is part of receiving God's gift of Grace. Too often our Christmases are harried and joyless. With an adventure our emotions are aroused if we become actively involved. if we stand at the sidelines and only observe, we cannot expect the same intensity of emotional responses.

Consider the anticipation when a member of your family or a friend announces she is pregnant. She is expecting, we say; we aye all expecting the birth of a healthy child. Will the infant be a boy or girl? Will it look like Mom or take after Dad? As the anticipated date of arrival draws nearer, we, because of our love for that person, become more suspenseful and excited.

To climb the steep slopes of a mountain is a personal challenge; to dive hundreds of feet below the surface of the ocean is a challenge; to celebrate the birth of our Prince of Peace with a heart full of love and spiritual preparedness is a challenge to every Christian.

Get you up to a high mountain 0 Zion herald of good tidings,- lift up your voice with strength 0 Jerusalem herald of good tidings lift it up, fear not say to the cities of Judah 'Behold your God:

Plan, prepare, be bold. The adventure awaits.

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