You never quite know what's going to happen when you plant something. Several years ago I rescued two sad sprigs of Christmas cactus from the Christmas fair remnants. This morning it bloomed in bushy glory by the altar. Advent is about expecting, but now being sure what you'll get!

Above the pink blossoms hang brand new banners lovingly crafted by two talented quilters, Brenda Davenport and Gail Kromer, to make something of the too small centers I created in 2006.

This bright tree patch nods to our common ancestress, "Eve." What did God expect when planting that fateful fruit tree in the garden? All we know about Eve is that she took and shared what wasn't given to her, then went on to be a hardworking farmer's wife with at least three sons (but that's another story for another time). If the story was just about her and her husband, "Adam," there wouldn't be much else to tell.

Its the main character who makes the story worth remembering. Not ready to give up on the contrarians God had breathed into life, the Creator made sure the creatures had what they needed to survive and thrive. transplanted sprigs bearing human life out into the world.

Today, while we work, we watch and wait to see what God will do next. Jeremiah says, "When that time comes, I will make a fresh and true shoot sprout from the David-Tree. He will run this country honestly and fairly, He will set things right. (Jeremiah 33: 15, translated by Eugene Peterson in "The Message).

Jeremiah points to the truth borne out in Jesus the Christ, God doesn't just send us into the world, God goes with us. The new banners point us toward stories of women who experienced God's powerful presence in their lives: Mother Eve, Sister Miriam, Deborah the Judge, Esther the Queen, Sarah and Elizabeth-late in life mothers, Loyal Ruth, Mary of Nazareth, Martha and Mary who befriended Jesus, Generous Dorcas, Gifted Lydia.

Advent invites us to get ready for what God wants to do in our lives. How will Christ come to us? What sprigs wait to spring into surprising abundance?

Our thanks to Suzanne Schaffhausen and Judy Rehmel for the quilts blocks published in "Women of the Bible," Augsburg Press, 1991.