Our Advent

Advent -- the season when we await the coming of Christ. It’s more than just waiting for Christmas to arrive, it’s a time to really look at the practices of our daily lives and see how we can better prepare our hearts for the coming of our Lord and King--Jesus Christ.

Advent is a season of both the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas and the return of Jesus at the second coming. The term is a version of the Latin word meaning “coming”. The Latin word adventus is the translation of the Greek word Parousia, commonly used to refer to the second coming of the Christ. For Christians , the season of Advent anticipates the coming of Christ from three different perspectives.: in the flesh in Bethlehem, in our hearts daily, and in glory at the end of time. “ The season offers the opportunity to share in the ancient longing for the coming of the messiah and to be alert for his Second Coming.

The new church liturgical year is the time to really assess the way that we have taken Jesus Christ seriously and allowed him to come into our hearts in a new way. Have we let Jesus really take the center of our hearts and lives? To make this year different than all the previous ones, we should be doing something different than we have in the past. To set aside more time for prayer, to give up a bad habit, to really watch our tongue with the gossip. Each little thing that we do– allows Jesus to have more room in our lives. It opens our heart and mind to his presence. Jesus wants nothing less than our hearts. He wants us to be completely devoted to living out our baptismal calling--to be his disciples of today.

Yes Advent is an important time, it is preparing for the birth of our Lord and Savior. What would it be like if we did nothing and just let Christ into our hearts. We would be ashamed of the fact that we didn't prepare, that we didn't give him the place of honor in our lives, that we didn't treat him as the king that he is.

May this advent season draw us closer to the one who has called us, the one who has given
everything for us, the one that wants to live in our hearts everyday.




May you be blessed this advent season!!

In Christ’ Love,
Rev. Steve