Repent! Slow Down!

Chaplains at Norton Healthcare take turns writing devotions for the intranet portal website. I think Norton is thought of as a secular hospital system, but it came out of a variety of faith heritages, including Episcopal, Methodist, and Presbyterian. When we provide pastoral care to staff, we need to be sensitive to a variety of cultures and religions. But in some instances we are able to share explicitly out of our own faith heritage. The web devotions fall under this category, because staff only read it if they choose to follow the link. I was asked to do a devotion for the second week of Advent, and I wanted to share it here as well.

Repent, Slow Down
Chaplain Jeremy Garbat-Welch, M.Div.
Norton Healthcare

Matthew 3:1-2 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."

The holiday season is one of the busiest times of the year. My family plans Thanksgiving for weeks, figuring out whose house we will gather at, who will bring what food, when it will be, how to time all the food. Then the day arrives, we have a great time, and suddenly Christmas is upon us! Planning gifts, braving the malls and stores, traveling, cooking, decorating. And then there are church activities like singing carols and special holiday services. I don’t know about you, but sometimes by the time Christmas actually arrives I’m so stressed out and worn out that I wonder why we do all of this!

That is part of why we have the Advent season. Advent gives us time to prepare for Christmas, not by cooking or decorating or planning, but by remembering. Advent helps remind us what Christmas is about: the birth of Jesus, the arrival of God in the form of a baby. In contrast to the rest of the holiday preparations, which always seem to involve a lot of running around and stress, Advent involves being still and reflecting on the gift of Jesus.

The second week of Advent focuses on John the Baptist, who called people to repent. Repenting is a necessary part of preparing to receive Jesus. Even for those of us who have celebrated many Christmases, each year we need to get ready to receive Jesus again. I think repentance can be a way of setting aside all of the things that might get in the way at this time of year. The ways we celebrate Christmas can be wonderful, but if they end up just causing stress or getting in the way of worshiping Jesus, then at times they may be doing more harm than good. This year, together, let’s remember to slow down and repent of all that stressful busyness. I hope you will join me in taking time throughout the season to take a few, slow, deep breaths and thank God for the gift of Jesus. Take time to share that gift with others by letting them know how much you love them and are thankful for them. After all, that is what Christmas is really about.