Sign up to follow my blog? (See top right - it's easy.) I'm feeling a little insecure today. :) (That's a joke ... for those of you that know me.) I'm FULL UP today. Happy, excited, lots of reasons, no specific reasons, just full. We went to small group last night and learned about Advent. I grew up with the lighting of the Advent wreath each of the four Sundays before Christmas, but it was just a tradition that I never understood (or cared much about if we're being honest). I was an adult before I came to know the Lord, and having been in "less formal" evangelical churches all of my new-creation life, I find myself longing to understand some of these traditions. I find myself weeping while singing familiar hymns, some SO familiar that I know all the verses, but I never heard the words. Last Sunday it was "How Great Thou Art." I read the Apostles Creed, something I've been able to recite by memory since I was a little girl, and am blown away by the truth and power in those words.
So back to Advent. What I learned last night is that it is definitely a man-made tradition that has changed often through the course of history, mostly for convenience or at the whims of "those-in-charge" of these kinds of things. But what I learned that mattered to me was that Advent is the preparation for the fulfillment and celebration of the coming of our Savior! To actually spend time in worship, and prayer, and reflection, and fasting, as we approach the celebration of this priceless and unequaled moment in history. Not in a 'legalistic' way, as some of the older rituals tend to sound to me, but in an overflow of anticipation and gratitude for a God who loves us so much that He sent His son to cover what we can never earn.
In case your interest is also captured, the Advent season starts this Sunday (11/30) and is "celebrated" for the four consecutive Sundays before Christmas day. There's lots of different ways to approach it, like a progression of the story leading up to Christ's birth, or a Sunday for each of peace, joy, love and faith, and some others I'm forgetting. I'm pondering what this celebration will look like for me, but already it has certainly changed my perspective on this holiday season.
6 comments:
LOL I didn't realized I had not clicked the follow link. I subscribed to your blog in Google Reader but not the little mini-reader that the follow link uses. Feel better now?
Oh yes thank you, I can pick my head up off my chest again now! :)
Thanks for the Advent lesson! It's easy to forget the real meaning. My oldest is in religious ed and he comes home from his class full of knowledge that helps me remember what I was taught long ago. Out we go this Saturday for a nice wreath and our 3 purple and 1 pink candle. Oh what fun. Oh---i am having trouble with your links. It could be my computer, but thought I would let you know. Loving the blog!
Correction...my moms and jeff's are the only links not working for me. The rest are doing just fine. No need to panic!
Hey Emily - thanks for letting me know about those links - they seem to be fixed now (definitely operator error). I hope it's ok I put the link on here to Jeff's site - that has been such an inspiration to me as I've followed it for probably a year now - so much to learn from these good folks and their journey. OH and thanks for being a follower of my blog so I can feel like a leader now! :)
Jeff's blog is followed by so many who do not know him..you are not the only one! Plus, it's not often one gets to hear about the "after" side of a long battle with cancer and then death. It really is beautiful to see life go on in a new way for them.
Keep on leading, Angie!
Post a Comment