A True Advent

I am filled with joy and my soul vibrates with exuberant hope, because of the Eternal my God. For He has dressed me with the garment of salvation, wrapped me with the robe of righteousness. It’s as though I’m dressed for my wedding day in the very best: a bridegroom’s garland and a bride’s jewels. (Isaiah 61: 10-11 The Voice)

Remembering five years ago. Grieving the loss of my dad months earlier. Grieving the final months with Alan after the doctor’s prognosis of six months to live. Grieving mother’s terminal condition. 

            Both Alan and mother were in hospice. Death hovered. Grief pricked me daily. 

            Christmas approached. Joyful songs played everywhere. Twinkling lights blinked happiness. Busy shoppers scurried from store to store. None of that really mattered to me. 

            I barely remember preparing at all. No tree. Few decorations in our home. But all around me, people prepared for the holiday. 

            During Advent, Christians anticipate the coming of Jesus. Candles are lit. Scriptures read. Days marked off on Advent calendars. 

            That year, Alan prepared to meet Jesus in a different way. Not in a Christmas play or candlelight service but face to face. 

            One day he said to me, “I wasn’t asleep but I saw Jesus. Like in a vision.”

            His surprising statement startled me. Never had he said anything like that. 

            “What was it like?”

            “He told me, ‘I am coming for you,’” Alan said. 

            I tried to absorb what he was telling me. It was too much.

            “Tell him not yet.” I said. I wasn’t ready for him to leave me. 

            Tears trickled from Alan’s eyes. “I see him every day.”

            As hard as it was to know Alan’s time was limited, his revelation comforted me in my sadness. He was at peace knowing he would be with Jesus. 

            Besides seeing Jesus, he kept seeing his aunt who had passed away. She spoke no words but smiled and motioned for him to cross the stream in front of her. 

            Each day, I pondered the visions he saw. My fact driven husband had never experienced anything like that before. His tears and joy when sharing the revelation confirmed the authenticity of it.

            When I met Alan, he wouldn’t even pray out loud with other people. Gradually, he began sharing his faith as we went on mission trips. His prayers at family gatherings went on and on as the food cooled. 

            However, most surprising to me was when he began sharing about Jesus during his last days. He talked to anyone who came to our home including friends, family and even the man who brought oxygen. Only God could have transformed a quiet, reserved man into a dying evangelist. 

            Before Christmas that year, Alan experienced a true Advent. He saw and heard from Jesus. A few weeks later, months short of his six months, he met Jesus face to face. 

            Though I still grieve, his anticipation and joy in going to heaven continues to give me peace and comfort. I see Advent differently now. What an incredible gift I received to see the love of God in Alan’s final steps to heaven. 

            Not everyone receives visions like Alan did, but we can all anticipate the coming of Jesus into our lives so we can let others know about him. Eventually, as Christians, we will one day meet him face to face. 

Lord, during this Advent season, help us anticipate the coming of Jesus and truly know him. Amen