For this, and all sermons in the Advent series, it may help to review Sten-Erik's video introducing the series (CLICK HERE).

Perspective on "The Hour"

Psalm 23, The Antithesis

The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest.
It makes me lie down only when exhausted.
It leads me into deep depression.
It hounds my soul.

It leads me in circles of frenzy, for activities sake.
Even though I run frantically from task to task, I will never get it all done,
For my ideal is with me.
Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me.

They demand performance from me, beyond the limits of my schedule.
They anoint my head with migraines,
My in-basket overflows.

Surely fatigue and time pressures shall follow me
All the days of my life.
And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration
Forever

— Marsha Hornok
Discipleship Journal, November 1990

If you sense this creeping up in your life over these next few weeks... turn that dial from planning for Christmas to anticipating in Advent. Our Savior is coming again!

A Suggestion

Here's a practical exercise that may help you remember where we are in the sweep of history, the period of waiting for the second Advent.

Use an analog clock instead of a digital clock!

How do you view time? Unconnected moments, as presented on a digital clock? When we see time that way, we tend to look at the present struggles as the miserable totality of our existence. In contrast, the analog clock, with its moving hands, reminds us of the sweep of time, how this moment is connected to previous moments and to coming moments. At just the right hour, the Messiah finally came. Since then, the hour hands have swept forward, around and around. We have been waiting. Anytime now, the hour will come when He returns!