Anticipation

"And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." Luke 1:76-79

In walking past a store, driving down a street, or turning on the radio, we find constant reminders that Christmas is around the corner. We have had these “subtle hints” since September and they have only increased since then. These signs call us to anticipate the coming holiday season, yet, what kind of thoughts fill our minds when we encounter them? 

Not growing up in a liturgical denomination, I had not heard of Advent or the idea of preparing for the birth of Jesus. I simply knew that I love to sing Christmas carols year round, to decorate with colorful lights as soon as possible (once as early as November 1st), and to think about the giving and receiving of presents. However, this anticipation of Christmas was really focused on the commercial side and had nothing to do with the idea of Jesus’ birth, of God becoming incarnate.

Don’t get me wrong. I love presents, bright lights, and carols and probably always will. However, I have learned that to anticipate Christ‘s coming I have to look deeper than what the world offers, even deeper than my own upbringing, and look to the tradition of the liturgical church. By following the seasons of preparation and celebration with the Advent and Christmas seasons I have noticed my anticipation of Christ, the miracle of God taking on human flesh that we may know God personally, has grown. By taking time to live into the preparation of Advent, perhaps you too may find your understanding and anticipation of Christmas to be strengthened in Christ and not the commercialization. 

We may hear of people talking about giving up something for Lent, as a way of preparing for Jesus' journey to the cross. What if we were to "clean" our lives for Advent as well? By actively preparing for the birth of Jesus Christ, we increase our anticipation of the event. While decorating a tree/house is a beautiful thing, what about doing something for your spiritual life? What about making sure you take time to pray each day? What about saying no to additional commitments that keep you away from worshiping God with other Christians?  

Make sure to look past the tinsel and bright lights to the fact that God did not leave us on this earth alone, but came as a tiny baby, taking on human form, that we might know the love of God and share it with the world around us. 

May you have an Advent season of anticipation and preparation that brings you closer to understanding the amazing, unconditional, love of God in Jesus Christ!