I had a mostly solo day today. I had no appointments, no meetings, no pastoral visits planned. I spent the majority of the day in my office, working on a sermon, preparing for upcoming meetings and events, and getting further advanced in a few projects. I like having days like this sometimes. But in the evening, when I was home (no evening meetings either!), I started thinking about what I could share in today’s blog post. Where had I seen God’s Advent light today? As I mentally retraced my day, I realized how often I see God’s light in interactions with other people, or in situations that are somehow unfamiliar. I didn’t have much in the way of either today. This gave me pause as I thought about it – I’ve often thought of myself as an introvert, and I’ve always welcomed days like this with open arms. But is there something empty about it? Do I require interaction with others more than I thought?

I decided that I would stop lying on my bed and thinking about this. Instead, I’d go up to my son’s room and see what he was doing. His baritone horn was in the middle of the room, next to his music stand. It looked like he was about to practice. But when I walked in, he was typing on his iPad. I asked him what he was doing, and he said he was sending a message to his band teacher. He told me that today’s band assignment wasn’t listed on the app, and he wanted to write a message to his teacher, asking him to put it up. He told me what he was writing, and it was so courteous and well-written.

I was amazed. My nine-year-old was doing something so thoughtful and responsible! I didn’t know he was capable of this. It gave me such a feeling of hope, pride, excitement. I was so glad that I got up from my solitude and sought him out – I saw something I would have otherwise missed. I stayed with him a few minutes while he practiced, but what I remember most is seeing what he’s becoming – something amazing.

That’s where I saw the light of God today, the first Tuesday of Advent.

Image by Hans from Pixabay