Those little Advent candles sure have a lot of darkness to overcome this year. —Rachel Held Evans
Even in the darkness the wind swirls and blows and the chimes sound. In the dark, what do you hear?
God can’t be kept out – the Good News we hear in the darkness
Rachel Held Evans begins her post this way:
Those little Advent candles sure have a lot of darkness to overcome this year. I see them glowing from church windows and on TV, in homes and at midnight vigils, here in Dayton and in Sandy Hook. Their stubborn flames represent the divine promise that even the smallest light can chase away the shadows lurking in this world, that even in the darkest places, God can’t be kept out.
Later she moves to the ‘rumor’ she ‘calls out’ in the rest of her post:
We all grieve in different ways, and we must be patient with one another as we do, but there is a rumor floating around among the people of God that is so vile, so dangerous and untrue, it simply must be called out. It’s a rumor that began long before the shots rang out at Sandy Hook and long before this Advent season.
It’s the rumor that God can be chased out.
I will say my “AMEN” to her proclamation now and encourage you to read her post, God can’t be kept out. She indeed states, eloquently, what I believe and what I try to proclaim in my own stumbling way.
“God with us.” Amen: may it be as we say and even more than we imagine. ~dan
Links to online Advent Calendars
Even in tragedy, Advent continues. Perhaps this event will demand that we better incorporate the Advent spirituality into our daily lives. ~dan
Each of these has a different approach. Find one that helps you “prepare the way.” Find one that helps you focus on God as you make your way into the loving arms of God.
Trinity Wall Street Online Advent Calendar
Busted Halo Online Advent Calendar
Image: Armin Vogel on Flickr
Hear what the Spirit is saying 
I don’t have much to say other than “Yes! Exactly this!” Thank you for sharing.