from Unhappy Holidays: Blessings for a Blue Christmas (Herald Press, 2025).
Thresholds are times pregnant with possibility and rife with uncertainty. Sometimes they are welcomed, even chosen, but sometimes we
are forced to stand on the ledge and face the murkiness of the unknown.
Advent is a threshold season. The stretch between Thanksgiving (in
the United States) and Christmas is a space of waiting. Thresholds can be exciting as one anticipates something new, a fresh start or a change
in course, but thresholds can also test us. They test the strength of our courage to move forward, to make a change, or to charge into something new
and unknown. Our desire for control is revealed. There is only so much
discomfort we can tolerate. Do we trust in the unfolding? And just
how long must we wait for the new thing?
Whether in chaos or with longing, with a heart of eager anticipation
or a soul heavy with dread, there are gifts and blessings to nurture and
sustain your soul within this season of anticipation. The threshold of
Advent is an invitation to step into a place of hope, where we believe
that transformation is always possible and claim the promise of the
already-and-not-yet reality of God’s reign: things will not always be
this way.
We hope this brings you some comfort and joy! You can spread the joy by liking, commenting and sharing this post with others.
Some Comfort and Joy was developed as a devotional resource that follows the rhythms and seasons of the liturgical year from an Anabaptist-Mennonite perspective.
some comfort and joy 