Messy

[Jesus said to them,] “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. [T]he sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.” – Matthew 24:27 & 29 (NRSV) 

Many of us like to compete with history, arguing that we live in the messiest times ever.  

It’s an odd competition. Much has changed, and more promises to follow suit. What would it get us to “win”? 

It would get us a front row seat to that ongoing Broadway hit, “Advent: The Season of Messy Dissonance.” We go back to see the show over and over, year after year, asking to be taught patience but complaining about the noise. Longing for hope but distracted by busyness.  

Silent night. Is their plane late?
Holy night. Why am I so tired again?
All is calm. Except me.
All is bright. Looks dark outside.

Advent is a paradigm shift. It is the child threatening to become God. It is a breakthrough. It is a rupture of the amniotic sac to stimulate birth. It is a mess. You might even call Advent a “Mess Age.” 

When things are this hard, as they usually are and as they were long before us, something is trying to get born. These are labor pains. 

It’s like the best communion. The bottle of wine breaks on the white carpet. We clean up the mess. Still, there are stains. The bread breaks. We ally with the broken. We know we are broken open. Nothing is properly contained. Perhaps it is not supposed to be? Life is not made for Tupperware.  

When it comes to the mess, it is a message. 

And Advent beckons us into the messiest, most wonderful message of all. 

Prayer
It’s messy out here, God. We pray for – and through – the labor pains.

About the Author
Donna Schaper is an interim Pastor at the United Church of Gainesville, Florida, and author, most recently of Remove the Pews—first from your theology, then from your building.