Rev. Emelia Attridge

I've had a few favorite jobs in my life: pastor, arts and crafts director at a summer camp, journalist. But one of my favorite was gift-wrapper. 

I worked for a retail store during seminary that sold paper, craft supplies, gift wrap, and ribbons. It was a dream! You could purchase wrapping paper or bring your own, and we would wrap whatever you needed. Usually there were probably as few as a single gift wrap service a month, but during the holidays, it was our time to shine. It wasn't unusual for someone to come in with a bag full of puzzles, games, and books purchased around the corner at the other shops and request gift wrap service. Often, these customers looked worn out from the holiday hustle, and grateful to pay a little extra to have someone else wrap their gifts. Part of the service was to provide quality presentation, and the belief that the right kind of wrapping could make the simplest gift extravagant. 

Wrapping a gift is the last step, and often, it's something that we put off until the last moment. Not unlike feeling "unprepared" for the arrival of the Son of Man as Jesus describes in the book of Matthew. You may have purchased the gift in advance, or had it on your to-do list, just as some days (really, more like some "seasons") we're perhaps "more prepared" for a message from God than others. Advent is like our gift-wrap service. We may not be ready, but this season is there to help us to get ready (even if it's just for a little while).