We're all in with Advent this year! Advent wreath? Check. Advent calendar? Double check.
In a world consumed with counting down the days until presents envelop the lighted tree, we are making mindful space to remember with anticipation Jesus' arrival, the day when He entered human history in the flesh.
The tradition of the Advent calendar began in Germany centuries ago when families would count down the days until Christmas by placing tally marks on walls and doorframes. By 1920 Gerhard Lang created a calendar with cutout doors with each day's door revealing a Biblical picture or a Bible verse. The popularity of the calendar eventually crossed over into mainstream culture hiding treats and toys with little to do with the original intent of anticipating the arrival of Jesus.
While Advent wreaths traditionally begin with the lighting of the first candle the 4th Sunday before Christmas, Advent calendars typically begin on December 1. This year we invite you to use our custom Advent calendar for reflection and preparation. Let's be intentional this 2020 Christmas season, to reflect on WHY we need a Savior and remember God's faithfulness in His promises and to His people.
As we watch and wait together, each day visit our Advent calendar for an inspiration and/or challenge to realign your heart. Look for Jesus every day and you will find Him!
Now if you haven't yet lit the first candle of your Advent wreath (the purple candle if your candles are colored), do so as we excitedly hope in the Light of the world to dispel all darkness.
Waiting doesn't come naturally. We value instant results, speedy turn-arounds and quickly brokered deals. The faster we achieve 0 to 60 or find the quickest route from A to B the better. But maybe God isn't so concerned about results, efficiency and instant gratification. Maybe He finds value in the process, because He knows that in the course of due time, we might learn a few things and become the best version of ourselves... the version He created us to be. We don't always know the 'why or what' behind the waiting, but we can be confident that God knows what He's doing both in and through the waiting.
Hope is a game changer. It lights our way through the darkness and keeps us afloat when we are sinking. Properly placed hope has the power to chisel our character to reflect our Truest Hope - - - Jesus.
Waiting isn't a span of nothingness. That would be laziness. It's also not a hiatus from the life God called you to be living. Some of the most meaningful, life altering work happens in our waiting because of our waiting. It is possible to get busy & wait.
Love is extraordinary. It knows no limits except the limits we place on it. Could waiting with love be one of the greatest and most beautiful graces given? In the space of the wait, how can sit well and intentionally love?
Joy is contagious with no slowing the spread. In a world of quarantine and cancellations, let not our joy be stifled or subdued. While we wait, we have been given the opportunity to stop and find joy in the most unlikely places.
