Advent Series

With Thanksgiving feasts stored away in left-over containers and our turkey hangovers finally beginning to break like dissipating fog, it is Christmas time. Trees and lights go up, halls get decked with holly, and romantics wait under the hung mistletoe. For most of us, the holiday pace is frantic, and the event calendar is crammed full of parties and gatherings. Crowded rooms can feel lonely. These reasons alone make Advent a blessing. During a season when waiting is a practice only forced on children looking at presents under the tree, Advent gives us all a chance to pause.

Things have a tendency to fall apart for us during this time of year. The weather freezes and relationships tend to crack or break altogether. Booze and drug become powerful, anxiety rides high on its terrifying horse, and depression covers like a fresh blanket of snow frequently as we try to trudge through the holidays. Again, for these reasons, Advent is a gift for us.

For my own sake, tomorrow I begin posting a four-part series (one post a week) about the waiting, anticipating, and hope of the Advent season. This time of year is loud. As much as I need to hear my wife and daughter sing Christmas songs, I also need to sit quietly and remember how much I should desire Jesus not to make his birth the last time he comes to our world. There is so much festive food to eat. But as fast as I eat holiday fudge and cookies, my soul need to feast on the hope of a God who always comes in the most unexpected of ways. And as bright as all the blinking lights shine, my eyes need to see the night God came into this world as well as the light he will forever shine on us when he returns again.

Justin Holcomb wrote a short but great explanation of Advent. Read it here. I hope to write a series of post that lightens the load of the exhausted and overstimulated believer during a season marked by excess and stockpiling. For my sake, I hope this Advent series will push back what usually overwhelms. I hope anticipation and waiting feel worthwhile for a change. My hope is that Advent can help the Lord push through what usually crowds Him out. I hope for joy and peace for my thirsty soul as often as they get sung in our songs. Advent is ripe with the slow pace redemption sometimes travels. The Advent prayer remains ‘Maranatha’ – ‘Our Lord, come.’

Image Credit: http://humanepursuits.com/all-i-want-for-christmas-is-light/