too long
November 28, 2008
Wow, there are at least 2 people reading this thing! Amazing. I humbly apologize for not keeping up with this experimental new blog venture. I need to make myself stick to it. That is the monastic thing to do after all. 
A new Church year is almost over and a new one beginning. Advent begins on Sunday. The rhythm begins over again. Why is this fun again? OK, no one said anything about fun. This would be a problem for people these days, and Christians along with everyone else – too much focus on everything curing my boredom. We have the attitude that if I don’t “feel like” I’m getting something out of it, whatever it is, then it isn’t worth it. This is deeply unfortunate. We behave and think like small, unformed children when we do this. We’re not getting it.
Things can be boring and still form us in the way that we should be formed. I’ll say that again in another way: we can feel as if we’re “getting” nothing at all from a particular season or practice, and actually be “getting” more than we need. Whether or not we experience any seemingly positive emotional response to the liturgy, or prayer, or anything like that, really means nothing. Using emotions as a guage as to whether something is worth giving yourself to is dangerous.
So, here’s an encouragement for us all: to put ourselves intentionally into the Christian rhythm of life, into the liturgical season we are about to enter. Await the coming of the Messiah. Live inside of Advent. Allow that rhythm to form you. Don’t worry about being bored or not being entertained enough. Don’t buy into the lie. Happy Advent.
