“It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and settled near a certain Adullamite whose name was Hirah.“—Genesis 38:1 (NRSV)

Advent is upon us. And the season of Advent is all about time. Time to prepare for the birth of this newborn king. Time for Mary to bear the Christ child. Time for Tamar to bore her sons. Time for all of us to prepare for what is to come.

Tamar and Mary along with so many women understand the commodity of time. Nine months their bodies carried a child. Nine months to bring about justice for the world. Nine months that remind us of the power of a woman. Nine months that lead to a holy disruption; the cries of the newborn king to rouse a deaf world.

A deaf world that often forgets that time is a commodity in our world. We need these holy cries to remind us that we need time for peace not war. Time for life and time for death. And time with those we love. The truth is that time is a gift and often that gift can be lost so easily.

So this Advent season, I want to use my time more wisely, I want to use my time; time to pray for peace, time to pray for love, time to pray for those who are grieving. But most of all, to dwell in the time that has been given me.

Time to wait, watch, and wonder what is to come. To wait for this holy child who comes as the light in the midst of the darkness. To wait for Emmanuel; God with Us.”