Expectation and Hope
As I was planning out what I wanted to accomplish this year, the one thing at the top of the list was a series of posts for advent. While this is not strictly a religious blog, the season of advent has become an important season for me and my family. This will be my fourth year celebrating advent in some form as an adult. And while I don't want our Advent celebration to be more elaborate, I do want it to be more intentional. That starts with asking these questions: What is Advent? Why is it important to me?
The advent that many are familiar with is the 4 Sundays prior to Christmas. These are commemorated by special services where candles are lit, one for each week of Advent. Each week a specific theme is introduced in preparation for Christmastide. In some Christian homes, Advent is a daily celebration. Each day people gather and light one candle for each week. How each person or family celebrates in a way that works for them. However, in each case it is a time of preparation and anticipation before the excitement of gifts and food, or the service of giving and volunteering.
“Advent has grown in my life from a meaningless holiday word to my favorite liturgical season of the year.”
As I began to delve into Advent and the traditional church calendar, it was fascinating to discover that for the church, Advent is the beginning of the year. This time of year is viewed as a time of preparation for Christ's coming. Originally, it was intended to look toward Christ's second coming. Throughout history it has been celebrated in different forms. it was viewed as a time of fasting and penitence similar to Lent for centuries. However, it slowly changed to a celebration of hope, and become more connected with the birth of Christ. In her Advent devotion "Shadow and Light", Tsh Oxenreider expresses the Advent season in terms of the shadows of brokenness being overcome by the light of Christ.
Advent is an opportunity for transformation. Instead of stressing about all the tasks and obligations, the worry about losing 10 pounds to be Christmas-ready, let's begin a transformation on the inside. Internal transformation has a tendency to put the rest into perspective, clarifying what is truly important.
I will be using Tsh Oxenreider's "Shadow and Light" as a starting point for inspiration for this Advent series. In this devotional, Week 1 is devoted to the themes of expectation and hope. Today, reflect on the type of transformation you hope to make over the coming weeks and months. What actions can you take to prepare yourself for a season of transformation.
