I hope each one of you had a great Thanksgiving holiday last week and took a moment to thank God for all the many blessings you have enjoyed this year. I think our calendar is set up so well, in that we have a time of purposeful giving thanks right before the Christmas season . Next Sunday is the first of the four Sundays of Advent which precedes Christmas.
What is Advent you ask?
“Since the eighth century, the beginning or first season of the Christian year. Advent focuses on preparing for the coming of Christ. The term is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning to come. The season or period of Advent always includes the four Sundays before Christmas Day.” (from umc.org)
The word advent is commonly used to mean the coming or arrival of something, especially of something extremely important. The season of Advent is celebrated in the Christian calendar as a time when the Church remembers how God’s people longed for and waited for a Messiah. It is a time during which we wait for the coming of Christ and prepare ourselves for the celebration of Christ’s birth on Christmas day.
Preparation for Christmas is important. How many of you have ever taken the day before Christmas to begin buying presents for those you love? Is Dec. 24th a good time to begin the planning and cooking of a Christmas Day dinner for which you have not even invited guests yet? Of course not. The same is true for celebrations within the life of the Church.
Advent is a time of joyful expectation. I pray that you will not let the spirit of this holiday that is found in malls overwhelm you, but that you will invite the Spirit of God and the celebration of Christ’s birth to fill you with God’s perfect joy and peace. Look around. Where will His Spirit lead you to serve Him as you await the coming of the Christ child?
What is Advent you ask?
“Since the eighth century, the beginning or first season of the Christian year. Advent focuses on preparing for the coming of Christ. The term is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning to come. The season or period of Advent always includes the four Sundays before Christmas Day.” (from umc.org)
The word advent is commonly used to mean the coming or arrival of something, especially of something extremely important. The season of Advent is celebrated in the Christian calendar as a time when the Church remembers how God’s people longed for and waited for a Messiah. It is a time during which we wait for the coming of Christ and prepare ourselves for the celebration of Christ’s birth on Christmas day.
Preparation for Christmas is important. How many of you have ever taken the day before Christmas to begin buying presents for those you love? Is Dec. 24th a good time to begin the planning and cooking of a Christmas Day dinner for which you have not even invited guests yet? Of course not. The same is true for celebrations within the life of the Church.
Advent is a time of joyful expectation. I pray that you will not let the spirit of this holiday that is found in malls overwhelm you, but that you will invite the Spirit of God and the celebration of Christ’s birth to fill you with God’s perfect joy and peace. Look around. Where will His Spirit lead you to serve Him as you await the coming of the Christ child?
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