Watch!

My brother is into cars.   Cars excite him, enthrall him, exhilarate him, and always have.  Show him a picture of any car and he’ll tell you the year, the make, the model, and a bit of the car’s history.  Classic cars really turn him on and he can spot them miles away.   I’m  reminded of this every time we’re on the road.  A routine drive often becomes a rousing reconnaissance mission.    Gasps of excitement are followed by shouts of exclamation like, “Hey, there’s a  1964 Shelby Cobra!” or, “Look!  There’s a 1973 Porsche 911 RS!” My brother, now 50, becomes once again like a little child, excited and filled with wonder.   Against the backdrop of ordinary traffic, my brother’s fascination with cars enables him to see the cars that other eyes might typically miss.  But then again, he’s always watching for them.  The irony is, my brother can only see out of one eye.

Like my brother, our liturgies during Advent teach us what it means to keep watch.  It is to be always at the edge of our seats, eyes wide open, hearts ready to be amazed.   Our Advent scriptures tell the stories of those who kept watch.   Isaiah, Jeremiah,  and  John the Baptist all could foresee the coming of the Messiah, and so they kept watch.  We who know that Jesus, the Messiah, has already come are still encouraged to keep watch for his eventual second coming.  But, in the meantime, we are inspired to watch for the presence of God all around us.  My brother and these prophets demonstrate that in life, we often see what we watch for.   If we take our  watching to heart,  watching attentively and intently, we may discover God over and over amidst the backdrop of ordinary life.   Perhaps we will again become like little children, filled with awe and delight.  Just watch!  Amen.