With Our Eyes on the Horizon
by Kathleen Clark
I cherish the arrival of Advent every year, in part due to one of my less flattering traits. I tend to focus on the future, often at the expense of the present. I have been known to say, in the middle of a brilliant vacation, “we should come back next year!” My attention naturally drifts towards the future, towards what is next to come.
In this season of expectation, of awaiting, of preparation, I find my habit of looking ahead validated and sanctified. I notice in the readings an abundance of verbs in the future tense. Psalm 122 proclaims “Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord,” which is to say we have not yet done so. Isaiah announces that “He shall beat their swords into plowshares,” which means the Son of God will bring peace someday. John the Baptist’s exaltation to “Prepare the way of the Lord” is a directive, a task to which I can devote myself with my eyes on the horizon. I will continue to grapple with my tendency to avoid the present, but during Advent, I will look ahead with anticipation and joy.
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