By Jim Vitale
Advent is my favorite season of the church year.
As Christians, we believe we are living “between times,” between the “now” and the “not-yet”. On the one hand we celebrate that the kingdom of God is now here, and yet we also wait anxiously for its arrival. On the one hand we believe the Messiah has already come; and yet we wait in anticipation of his return. We live in liminal space, a space between worlds, praising God for what already is and waiting with hope for what will be. That is very spirit of Advent.
Camp Mount Luther is hosting its third annual Advent Holy Hike this year on Sunday, December 15th from 2-3pm. This has become one of my favorite events of the year—not only because I love Advent but because I get to see these 400 beautiful acres in a new way. Stripped of leaves and undergrowth, (sometimes) blanketed in snow, the Advent Holy Hike shows me a camp most people don’t see. The stark-yet-beautiful landscape is a reminder of the world in which we now live, beautiful in its own way, yet waiting for redemption, the coming Springtime when neither death nor decay will touch creation again. Like us, the creation itself, waiting with eager longing, also lives in the “in-between.”
I hope you can join us for the hike this year. We will begin at the Evergreen Center and walk one of the trails, pausing periodically to reflect on Advent themes, remembering God’s promises and looking forward to Christ’s return. It will be a meaningful and special time.
And, if you need more convincing, following the Advent Holy Hike the youth group will be throwing a Christmas party. You are invited to hang around after the hike to warm up with tasty cookies, hot chocolate, and good fellowship.
See you there!
