My childhood church did not use a liturgical Church calendar and so although we celebrated Christmas and Easter, there was little attention given to seasons such as Advent and Lent. Now that I think about it, there was always anticipation building to those two times of the year, much like there is in the church I now attend that does observe a liturgical calendar. There is a difference though. When a church is formally observing the seasons of Advent and Lent everything is directed to understanding and anticipating what is to come. Dedicating several weeks focused on preparing for the main event reminds us these are not usual events, they are of utmost importance, and we need to be prepared.
This morning I was, for the second time, surprised by a rainbow near a favorite vista. Thanks to my childhood church instruction, I immediately remembered God telling Noah he put a rainbow in the sky as a sign of His promise to never again destroy the earth by flood. Today, even more than that specific promise, the rainbow said to me “God keeps His promises, all kinds of promises, and that includes what we anticipate during advent.”
Rainbows also bring Cowper’s words to mind:
Sometimes a light surprises
The Christian while he sings;
It is the Lord, who rises
With healing in His wings:
When comforts are declining,
He grants the soul again
A season of clear shining,
to cheer it after rain.
Into the Liquid Light 