'Tis the season to be Whale Watching

'Tis the season to be... whale watching!?! I got my Christmas gift early this year when we visited family in California last month and went whale watching together. I had previously been whale watching about a decade ago but, after several hours out on the water, we had not seen anything other than waves. So, as you can imagine, I was eagerly awaiting the possibility of seeing actual whales this time around! 

We boarded the boat early in the morning and set off into Monterey Bay. All eyes watching the waves, waiting for the tell-tale spray of water that comes when a whale surfaces, and hoping fervently to see what we had all gathered to see. 

And then… a spray of mist propelled from the water, the gentle roll of a whale’s back breaking through the surface, followed by the stunning whale tail emerging like a graceful aquatic exclamation point before gliding back beneath the waves. The immense beauty of it all quite simply took my breath away. What a gift to behold!

You may be wondering; however, what in the world whale watching has to do with Christmas. Well, whale watching for me was a sacred experience of waiting and watching much in the same way that Advent is a sacred experience of waiting and watching.  

In a world of instant information and gratification, we so often see waiting as an inconvenience rather than a gift. Yet the gift of Christ’s birth on Christmas morn is made all the more meaningful because we took the time to wait attentively and watch with eager anticipation throughout Advent. 

I invite you to resist the temptation to race toward Christmas day and instead to unwrap the unexpected gifts of waiting and watching this Advent. Together we turn our eyes toward the manger, watching and waiting for new life to emerge. The immense beauty of it all takes my breath away. What a gift to behold!