by Pastor Charlie Woodward

As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?

–Psalm 42:1-2

There is a scene from the 1951 Disney classic, Alice in Wonderland, in which Alice is seeking some direction from the Cheshire Cat.

Alice: “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”

Cheshire Cat: “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.”

Alice: “I don’t much care where.”

Cheshire Cat: “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”

In the Christmas story we will hear again in the days to come, there are many who are seeking directions – Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and the Magi. Do any of them know where they are going? Mary wonders what direction this child inside her womb will take her. Joseph is wondering what direction his life will take with Mary and the child who is now his responsibility. The shepherds wonder what they will find when they seek the newborn child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And the Magi wonder where the star will lead them.

I believe the call of Advent is to focus not on where we are going, but rather it is on the One we seek. Advent is a time of preparation and the call is to prepare the way of the Lord. Instead of focusing on where that road may take us, and what that road might look like, the call is to focus on the One who comes. Focus on the One we seek, and then be open to following the direction God leads you. And don’t be surprised when the One you seek shows up in the most unexpected places.

As the deer longs for flowing streams, so may we long for the One who comes to offer the promise of living water. Amen, Come, Lord Jesus.