by Pastor Dan Baumgartner

Saturday, October 17, was one of those crazy fall days in Seattle when the weather was extraordinary. Extraordinarily wet and blowy. I know because I was out for a very long training run at 6:30am.

Over the course of the next three hours, I ran into and out of several monsoons. It was so wet I quit trying to avoid puddles. Everything was a puddle. I couldn’t have gotten wetter if I had stepped into the shower fully-clothed. After drying out at home, I came to Bethany to do a wedding. The monsoons continued, on and off, all afternoon.

Sitting in my office getting ready, I watched the wedding party and photographer, with impeccable timing, choose the one opportune moment to take outdoor pictures. It was a window that couldn’t have lasted more than twenty minutes, but it will produce memorable pictures for the couple far into the future. Strikingly beautiful leaves were drifting down from the trees, a few rays of sunshine intensified the red and gold colors into near fluorescence, and there were few indications that just minutes before (and after) there were automobiles practically floating down Queen Anne Avenue. The perfect window.

Sunday, November 29, is the beginning of the Advent season - a season of waiting, of reflection, of preparation for the entry of Christ into world history- and our own history.

Advent is a time to step off the merry-go-round of “I’m just so busy” to think deep and well. Over the years I’ve heard many of your voices- and my own- say something like “Another Advent was buried under the rising pressures of Christmas…NEXT year, I want to be proactive and intentional and really celebrate Advent.”

So here’s your chance. November 29 is weeks away. What can you plan now so you have some protected places to ready your heart? Do you need to limit the number of social engagements you accept? How about giving some thought to regular prayer times around candlelight with family or friends? Or finding a devotional to give some structure to the season? Whenever you are reading this, it is your opportunity to be intentional and not just reactive.

The perfect window.