A Season of Advent

Believe it or not, I had no idea what Advent was until last year when I suddenly started hearing references to it everywhere. Before that, it was always just Christmas for me. But honestly, I’ve had conflicting emotions about Christmas for a while. For one thing, the over commercialization of, well, everything this time of year makes me a little uncomfortable. There is nothing wrong with buying gifts for your loved ones of course- even I went out to do a little Black Friday shopping this year ;) But it feels sometimes like that is all Christmas has become about- like every marketing department in the country is luring is to buy, buy, buy beyond what we need and sometimes even beyond what we want.

Of course, there are also lovely things about the holidays. There is family and laughter and singing and community. And there is Advent. So far it’s become my favorite thing about this season. Now that I have a better understanding of what it is, it seems like the perfect way to approach Christmas. For those of you who may not know, Advent is basically a season of expectation. On the one hand, joining in the expectation and excitement of God’s people as they waited for the promised Messiah, and on the other about expecting the return of our Savior.

I tend to shy away from very traditional “religious” things in general because I’m a bit wary of their origins. I never want to find myself observing a tradition in a way that feels dry, like I’m doing out of habit simply because it’s been done before. But this year, Advent is speaking to my heart, and teaching me so much. And that makes it so worth it.

These past few days I've been observing Advent by contemplating Jesus’ birth- the fact that the God of the universe wrapped himself up into a tiny babe. I mean, can you imagine? The most powerful, majestic Being came to our broken earth in the most helpless way possible. There is so much to be understood about who God is just from that. For one thing, it speaks of His love, of a love so great and tender that it did not consider us too lowly to approach face-to-face, to step in our dirt and meet us in our weakest state. Don’t you think that if Jesus came here to earth to walk with us side by side, that He is a God who longs to have that same sort of communion with us even now?

That’s the power of Advent. It’s this amazing opportunity to dwell on the miracle of Jesus’ birth and all that He did for us. And that's why I'm really falling in love with it this season.

What about you, do you observe Advent? And if not, how do you prepare for the season?

#2015 #christian