Hope of all the earth

Well, dang—it’s Advent, the period before Christmas that does not involve shopping, eating, standing in lines or moaning about how you’re not ready for the holidays. Advent is the time for getting ready, for preparing or the birth of the baby in Bethlehem.

We’ve got four Sundays and a bit more to get our act together, to gather our thoughts, count our blessings, assess how we’ve done during the previous months and what we might do better in the coming year. You can do this whether you’re religious or not, whether you’re Christian or not.

Many traditions mark these four weeks with contemplation, reflection and prayer; I break out the Christmas CDs and go through way too many candles.

This first Sunday in Advent is about expectation. The prophet Isaiah looms large, which suits me down to the ground; one of the best books in the Old Testament. My offering for today is “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus”, written by my man Charles Wesley in 1749 and set to “Hyfrydol”. (My preference is "Stuttgart", but I couldn't find anything passable online.)