Advent Begins

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
1. Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

2. Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

I find such a dichotomy in myself at this time of year. On the one hand I love the Christmas season. I enjoy the music, the lights, the decorations, the gifts, the food, and the time with family. On the other hand part of me dreads this time of year. I dread the busy-ness, the extra planning and cooking, the way my children behave on an inconsistent schedule, the focus on material things, the pressure for each Christmas to be meaningful and full of tradition now that we have children.

As I have struggled with this torn-ness the past few years I am realizing more and more that in order for me to enjoy this time of year I prefer to think of it as Advent. It is more in my personality to stand back from the hustle and bustle and reflect on Christ's coming to earth in a more quiet and intentional way. This year I am specifically setting aside a few minutes each day to read and reflect on this marvelous gift we have been given. I am reading from a book called In the Days of the Angels by Walter Wangerin (a terrific writer that you must read) and also trying to read a chapter a day in the book of Luke. For our family devotions after dinner we are reading from The Book of God, the Bible as a Novel also by Wangerin. I am by no means super-spiritual and my Advent reading takes no more than 20 minutes out of my day. I find that it keeps me grounded and focused in what can otherwise be a season that flies by in a flurry.