For many years, I spent a portion of December on mission trips to Nicaragua. Even now, Advent conjures up images of a rural mountain village, where very few decorations are needed to announce God’s arrival. We once visited a local family, who invited us to share a simple meal of beans and tortillas made over a smoky wood stove, while a single strand of colorful lights dangled across the living room wall. This holy season where we watch and wait for the mystery of God-with-us is deeply rooted for me in experiences of service and solidarity with the poor.
One year, we were handing out Christmas care packages to the kids in the after-school program. The care packages were separated into gifts for boys and girls, and then bundled together in a large cardboard box. As we handed out gifts to the kids, the parents would watch in anticipation as the box was slowly drained on its contents. Once all of the gifts had been distributed, one of the moms would approach and ask, “May I have the empty box?”
I thought to myself, “It’s just an empty box. Why all fuss?” But at every site, two or three moms would stay until the very end, waiting for us to give away the empty boxes. In my mind the box seemed useless, but to them it was clearly something of worth. In a community with limited resources, I imagine these moms saw a lot of possibilities – storage center, carrying case, or kindling to start a fire. I was struck that in this apparent emptiness, they saw something valuable. They saw so much more than “nothing!” Like the endless creativity of a child who imagines a doll house, castle fort, or rocket ship, these ingenious women were ready to take this empty box and use it for something new.
I must admit, 2020 feels a lot like that empty box! A year that started full of gifts and possibility has been slowly drained of its contents. A friend was recently lamenting the need to forgo their usual tree-trimming party with a house full of friends. My niece missed celebrating the sacrament of Confirmation because of a COVID exposure. Several friends and colleagues are grieving the death of loved ones, and they long for the warm embrace of those who wish to grieve together. It is easy to look back on the year and see a whole lot of “nothing” left over.
What if Jesus wants to enter into the empty space? As I sit with the ever darkening days, as this difficult year enters its final month, I wonder “what if like my Nicaraguan friends, we discover new possibilities in the emptiness?” Could this be the place where God desires to meet us? Is this where Jesus wishes to be born?
There is always a temptation to “fill up the box” in anticipation of Christmas – to fill our spaces with a Christmas tree and decorations, to fill the refrigerator with our favorite foods and beverages, to fill the house with our favorite Christmas music. God does not need all these sparkling reminders of the holiday season, as wonderful as they are! God enters the world in all its beauty and wonderment, in all its chaos and brokenness. God comes into our emptiness, and says “I want to be here, with you.”
God did not wait for the world to be perfect. Jesus arrived in the midst of fear and division, to a world in need of peace. Even today, this is how God saves us – by entering into the emptiness with us, sharing in our loneliness, walking alongside those who are ostracized, healing the broken, bringing justice to the oppressed, and reconciling those in need of forgiveness. The hope of the Advent season is that God is already here! Jesus, Emmanuel, has already come! In this challenging year, perhaps we will see God most clearly by looking for God in the emptiness.
How to look for God in the empty spaces:
- Pause and examine the space before you – Let the wonder of the season slow you down. With fewer in-person concerts and holiday parties, take some added time for silence, prayer, and rest.
- Light a candle to brighten the darkest caverns of that space – An extra source of brightness can be a reminder that God is ever-present. Ask yourself, “How am I called to be a light for others – for my neighbors, to a stranger, among my enemies?”
- Take the box out into the sunlight to let the beauty of creation shine inside of it – The Creator of the Universe entered into creation! Bundle up, take a walk or drive through the neighborhood, find a place to stare at the stars. Give thanks for the gift of the earth, and seek ways to care for creation over these winter months.
- Invite others to examine the empty space with you, particularly those who will help you see the space from a new angle – One way to combat injustice is by using our prophetic voices to influence those in power. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper in support of an issue you care about. Send an email to Congress or other elected officials about creating public policies that better reflect our values. (Check the USCCB website and Catholic Relief Services for helpful how-to resources!)
- Share the wonders of what you have discovered with others, by gifting them with the treasures you have found there – We probably all know someone who is hurting, hungry, alone, or struggling this year. Offer a prayer, send a card, cook a meal, be generous to a local charity, say thank you to our first responders, health care workers, and retail professionals. Most importantly, find ways to be present to those you love, even if you cannot be physically together.
Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash.com
Beth Knobbe
Beth Knobbe is an author, speaker, and ministry professional based in Chicago, Illinois. She earned a Master of Divinity Degree from Catholic Theological Union and serves as a Senior Trainer with Catholic Relief Services, engaging Catholics in living their faith in solidarity with the poor around the world. Beth is an avid traveler and is passionate about her vocation to the single life. Beth is the author of Party of One: Living Single with Faith, Purpose, and Passion (2011) and Finding My Voice: A Young Woman’s Perspective (2009). Her personal blog can be found at www.bethknobbe.com.
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