Tomorrow is Saturday, November 28. The next day is Sunday, November 29. Guess what Monday is? OK, that’s enough!!
Anyway, Sunday, November 29, is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent….what a wonderful time of the year.
Advent means “the arrival of a notable person, thing or event.” For the Christian, the Advent season reminds us of the first coming of the Messiah, in a manger in Bethlehem, and the second coming of the Messiah, when evil is forever defeated.
Maybe I can describe how Advent feels to me.
Tonight I saw a home all decorated in Christmas lights. It reminded me that soon our streets will be glowing with beautiful (and some “interesting”) lighting displays. I love those! Christmas lights help me focus on Advent.
Friends have started posting pictures of their Christmas trees, already up and decorated. Each picture has made me smile and has sparked excitement in my heart about Advent.
Advent for me is a little like being a kid and seeing my siblings run into their bedrooms, working hard to get Christmas presents wrapped before I can see what they bought.
Advent is sort of like the smell of onions and sausage cooking early on Thanksgiving morning. That aroma means that turkey and dressing are not far behind and those the best!
Advent is kind of like seeing a bride peak out from the church foyer before the doors are open and she starts walking down the aisle to meet her groom. We only get a peak at her, but our heart soars because we know that two lives are being joined together by God.
Advent is a little like hearing the drum roll before the Star Spangled Banner is played. It makes my heart skip a beat because I know that what follows is amazing!
Advent is how we prepare while we wait for Jesus, for Christmas, to arrive.
During Advent, we read scripture and writings and we light candles. We don’t do those things because they are magical or because they are traditional. We do them because they help us to take our focus off of the things like Black Friday and holiday shopping. We do those things because we need to prepare our hearts and our minds so that we can honor and remember the gift of the Christ child.
I am so excited about Advent. I want to prepare my heart. I need to prepare myself to worship.
So, if you want to buy your Advent candles, tomorrow is the best day to get started.
Love,
Jill (just one of God’s kids)
Want a free resource to help your family prepare for Christmas during Advent? I downloaded the Billy Graham guide; it is great. The link is provide below:
We Gather Together 