Advent was a term that I wasn’t familiar with until I entered college. Well, to be honest, I had heard of Advent. The phrasing I had heard it in was: Advent Calendar.
You might be familiar of an Advent Calendar. Everyday you open a little door on a Christmas house display and a tiny gift is revealed. We never had one in our house but I remember my aunt did. She never put gifts in it. She just used it as a decoration to put in her home.
That was my core knowledge of Advent – little gifts.
I was 21 when I learned what Advent really meant.
“Advent is coming.”
This phrase started trickling in during the month of November. The pastor shared that their staff had created a bible study for the season of Advent.
Why had I never heard of Advent up until now? Was my church back home missing something? Am I a terrible Christian for not knowing/participating in Advent?
You might be going through those same thoughts. Let me introduce to you the sweet season of Advent.
Advent (noun): coming or arrival
Advent is celebrated for 4 weeks. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends December 24th. The focus of Advent is prepare for the coming of Christ. There are two advents that happen: when Jesus is born and when Jesus comes back. It’s not receiving a daily gift from a Christmas decoration, but a time to focus your mind and heart on the arrival of Christ. During December 17th to 24th, our main focus is to prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Advent is a time to long for His glory to encompass and shape us.
“The day will come, says the Lord, when I will do for Israel and Judah all the good things I have promised them. ‘In those days and at that time I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will do what is just and right throughout the land.'” – Jeremiah 33:14-15
Waiting in our culture is difficult. We get instant messages. Our coffee is ready in minutes. We get angry when our phones don’t load faster.
Yet, God is calling us to wait for the arrival. He is calling us to focus our minds on Him and practice living in His presence. There is a restlessness that resides in our souls. We are anxious for the arrival of Christ.
“I will wait with longing for the Lord.” – Psalm 130:5
Our prayer is that you may use this Advent season to wait on the Lord. May He speak to you as you spend time with Him and rest in His truth. We pray that the community that God has formed through The Captivating Woman will press into Him and wait.
May our hearts reset and beat with His. May we wait anxiously, but with excitement, like a mother waits for the birth of her child. And as we draw closer to the arrival, may we celebrate in His birth.
Things we want you to know:
- Every Sunday we will share an Advent prayer. Prayer brings us to a closer intimacy with the Lord. We hope that during your Sundays, you may meditate on these prayers.
- Monday through Saturday there will be a Advent study. We hope that our study will help you to draw closer to the Lord and focus your mind on Him. We have 4 guest bloggers joining us and we are very excited to share their words with you.
Prayer
Lord of our longing,
fill us with hopeful anticipation
of as we wait for the fullness of your Kingdom on earth.
Help us to see that only you can satisfy the deepest desires of our hearts.
Remove any temptation to settle for something less.
May our Advent prayer and worship increase our confidence in your holy Word
so that sin and evil never lead us to despair.
As we ready our hearts and minds for the celebration of Jesus’ birth,
may we reach out in charity and kindness to those most in need.
Amen.
Credit: Photo by Sarah Simon // Instagram: @themintgardener
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