Celebrating Advent Season:

Today this blog post is being posted the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  It was hopefully for many of you a great time to celebrate with family and maybe some friends, have a break from work.  (Or maybe some of you may have received double pay working the Black Friday hours).  This means the next major holiday for many of us is Christmas. I know not everyone finds Thanksgiving or this upcoming season of Christmas the most joyful, but I would like to share some light on its importance separate from a worldly thinking we have often had in the past. 

I personally love this time of year.  I am a summer girl, but I do enjoy winter up to Christmas.  Then I struggle through the months of January and February (although my favorite holiday of Valentine’s Day is in February-so there is that to look forward to.).  When I think of Christmas I think of my grandparent’s house.  I used to wake up there on Christmas morning all ready to open the stockings, and ready to eat cinnamon rolls by the Christmas tree.  I also would usually enjoy a cup of coffee made by my grandma.  As I get older, some of the things I most admire out of the Christmas season are the blinking lights of the Christmas tree with all the ornaments, and the break and relaxation with friends and family.  

However, I often think we can get really distracted and stressed out about everything related to the Christmas season.  I know I start thinking about gifts and making sure I can get the most loved ones of mine a gift they will appreciate and love.  I also spend a lot of time working on the Christmas cards I want everyone to receive.  I can sometimes get stressed out about the time this takes.  Will I have enough time to make all the cards for those I want to make one for? Will they look nice?  Will this be worth it?  It takes up a lot of space in my brain during what should be very joyful season.  

Besides being the Sunday after Thanksgiving, it is also the first day of Advent season.  Advent is the four-week celebration before Christmas occurs.  It is the time of waiting and preparation for the coming Lord, Jesus Christ.  I also started this devotional from the Daily Grace Company in order to fully celebrate and honor this time. This book is called “Awakening Wonder, Experiencing the Nearness of Jesus.” by Katie Davidson, Alexa Hess, and Anteneshia Sanders.

I really wanted to celebrate and study Advent because as I just mentioned I and I believe many others often get stressed out when thinking about Christmas and the Christmas season.  I already loved the first couple of pages of how they would describe Advent.  They say, “The weeks leading up to Christmas are typically fast-paced and focused on going and doing.  But Advent is about slowing down, waiting, and preparing.”  (pg.26).  We sometimes forget the true reason for Advent.  We sometimes are so lost in all things leading up to Christmas and even the emotions attached to Christmas, which can be exciting and filled with joy or a time filled with sadness and grief that we forget the reason it is a holiday to begin with.  It is about Jesus as opposed to giving gifts and all the holiday traditions. 

 Regardless of your personal history and experiences with Christmas, there is one central joy we can all know.  Jesus came down to the world in order to save His people from our sins.  He was sent to be born as a baby, to experience the life we as other people experience.  Then he was later in his life willing to suffer and ultimately die on the cross for us all to offer salvation.  

There are many verses describing Jesus coming to the world. This is described throughout the first four Gospel books in the Bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  There are also many other verses including Galatians 4:4-5 which says, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”  The Lord had a plan from the very beginning.  He knew he wanted us to be a part of his life from the start of creation.  He found a beautiful way and a path for us to have access to the Lord and everlasting life in heaven while still including us to have free will.  

There are two challenges for you this week.  The first one is to find your own Advent study.  There are passages to read online, and there are many books sold about Advent and studying the word that way, such as what I am doing.  This can be just 15 minutes of your time in the morning to prepare your heart and soul for the coming of Christ this season.  The second challenge is to spend time reflecting on the goodness of God this season.  This may mean slowing down.  This may mean finding a way to destress during the stress that can be preparation for Christmas.  I do truly hope you can all find great joy during this holiday season!