We live in a society that rewards finish lines - deliverables, story endings, and checked boxes.

We have been indoctrinated to believe that outcomes are all that matter. The “here and not yet” of Jesus actively disputes this mindset, calling us Christians to faithfully live into the promise of what is to come…of all that is to come.

In this sacred dynamic, we have established a trusting relationship with God called “faith”, in which we are called to:

• believe what we have not (yet) seen from God;
• live according to what God has promised;

This is the primary focus of the Advent season.

And yet, it can be challenging to celebrate what is to come when this holy season intersects with the national observance of Thanksgiving - a time dedicated to expressing gratitude for who and what has already happened. Complicated at best, this holiday marks the muted historic harm of the genocide of Native Americans. Many do not have gratitude for all that has already happened…

We can plainly see the devastating ripples of this horror centuries later on this occasion as white supremacy culture attempts to upset the apple cart of our faith - tempting us to focus on happiness, wins, and accomplishments. Let’s be honest: so many people are experiencing a lot of pain and harm, and are not entering this season in a spirit of happiness. And that should not be a requirement.

Believing isn’t always happy, and neither is Advent. Choosing to celebrate (joy) in advance of resolution, restoration, and resurrection takes great courage and great faith. It calls us to reflect on God’s character, remaining poised with our party hats in the midst of our despair - believing that there will be a season for joy (to quote Ecclesiastes and my mother.)

Hope is such a powerful - and scarce - thing! By introducing the element of imagination, we can teach our young people to dream about the awesomeness of answered prayer.

Imagine the conversations that could blossom by inviting students to consider:

• What would (will) change in their world/circumstance look like? What will it taste like?
• What does God promise about that specific situation/issue?
• Can we find a Scripture to cling to in this dry and barren Advent season that will point us to Christmas (and the change that we long for?)
• How can we use our imagination, in concert with the text, to celebrate dreams that have not yet come to fruition?

Maybe it looks like planning an “Advent Thanksgiving” celebration where guests give thanks for future blessings. Or, teaching students to express gratitude in prayer to God for change that has “not yet” come.

Perhaps this is the Advent/Thanksgiving season fully realized: the incredible shift from the “theology of glory” to the “theology of the cross” - where we can come to Jesus’s dinner table with our whole broken selves, trusting that there will in fact be a seat for each of us, and enough bread for us all.

In your mercy, God…may it be so.

 Amen.