Today is Gaudete Sunday, (“Rejoicing Sunday”).  As in the rest of life, Advent maintains a balance between waiting and already present. Waiting can contain the element of incompleteness, of which we are reminded every day. But we also need to hold in mind the “already present” – our own natural goodness and the joy that is available to us at every moment:

There is not one little blade of grass,

there is no colour in this world,

that is not intended to make men rejoice.

John Calvin