I adore the holidays.  The air gets crisper, people are kinder, music gets merrier, and my car starts to smell like a Christmas tree; it’s the closest I think I’ll ever get to Hogwarts-level of magical.

It can also be one of the most packed and hectically scheduled times of the year. From mid September until New Years, I usually have 2-3 weekends that aren’t filled with events, parties or other time-commitments months in advance. When I am this busy, sometimes I think I’d lose my own head if it weren’t firmly attached. If I haven’t planned ahead to have stuff on hand that isn’t in the forefront of my mind, I’m almost certainly going to forget about it until it’s too late. Then because I needed those things and forgot, I’m scrambling to make it all work, and usually running late. This all converges to make me so much more likely to be stressed out, freaked out and very narrowly focused on what I need.

Unfortunately, this season is also one that is rife with opportunity to be selfless, thoughtful and generous – if we are being intentional about paying attention. I’m convinced that we miss out on dozens of opportunities to make a difference to those around us every single day, simply because we aren’t prepared and aware of what those needs look like.

As Christians, we know that we should be prepared for Jesus to come at a moment’s notice. We don’t get a calendar alert the night before, or a 15-minute warning. The Bible says that we should keep watch, because no man knows the day or the hour.

Matthew 25 tells it this way:

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

“Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

“ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

 “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. 

“Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

“But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

We know that can’t procrastinate with salvation, thinking we have time “some day” to get that taken care of. We’ve got to be prepared and aware. I think this concept extends far beyond just accepting salvation, however, and reaches into every facet of our Christian faith. If I go into a situation prepared to be selfless or generous, an opportunity will present itself to be those things, without fail.

That’s not to say that it always looks like we think it should or we picture in our heads. I remember once when I pulled up to Starbucks to work on some homework on a Saturday morning, I noticed a guy with a sign on the corner. When I went inside, I bought an extra breakfast sandwich and a coffee with the intention of giving it to him, but when I went back outside, he was gone. Feeling foolish for spending money I could have saved, I sat it next to me and figured if nothing else I’d eat it later, only to have a young guy walk in 30 minutes later who hadn’t eaten in several days. I was able to talk with him about who and where he was in life. After our conversation, the lady at the table sitting across from us had tears in her eyes and bought him lunch and several bottles of water.

I went in prepared to feed the man sitting on the corner, and nothing about that morning turned out like I thought it would, but the Lord didn’t let that intention and preparation go to waste. He brought someone else in my path that needed what I had to offer, and softened my heart and gave me the opportunity to speak life over him in the process.

I challenge you, in this advent season, to prepare yourself to be selfless, generous and thoughtful. Even if that just means committing to yourself to find one way to be kind to people who don’t deserve for you to respond that way, or asking someone about their story, or expressing gratitude – bring your extra jars of oil with you, so that when the opportunity presents itself, you won’t miss it.

Christian Children, Advent Bids You
Words by: Esther Wiglesworth

Christian children, Advent bids you
meet your Lord upon his way;
watch, for now the night is waning,
soon will dawn the endless day.

Christian children, Jesus bids you
daily pray “Thy kingdom come;”
watch, and wait for his appearing
till he come to take you home.

Christian children, he anoints you
with his Spirit from above;
see then that your lamps be burning
with the fire of faith and love.

Christian children, when we think not
we shall hear the aweful cry,
“Go ye forth to meet the Bridegroom;
haste, for Jesus draweth nigh!”

Christian children, they shall meet him,
faithful children of the light;
they whose lamps are trimmed and burning,
and their garments pure and white.

O how blessed to fall before him!
O how blessed his praise to sing!
Love him, serve him, and adore him,
in the city of our King!

Credit: Photo by Sarah Sandoval // Instagram @sarahhhvictoria

“Come, Thou Redeemer of the Earth!”

I really love the title of this hymn and all that it encompasses. I have realized that are a couple distinct situations in my own life that usually end with me feeling far away from God and longing for the Redeemer of my soul to come near.

Sometimes, I look for fulfilment in all the wrong places, and I settle for something less than Jesus. Once I finally turn my eyes from the world I’ve been so preoccupied with, it can feel like waking up in a lonely desert wasteland where the ground cracks open with thirst, all alone and vastly distant from the presence of Jesus. Other times, I’m just caught up in doubt, and I find myself asking, “God, where are You?”

The Lord has gently been reminding me that these are just feelings. Maybe we feel like we’ve traveled miles and miles from His presence, or maybe we doubt because we can’t physically perceive Him, but in reality, He has always been incomprehensibly near, constantly surrounding us with His deep and irreversible love for us.

I’m reading a book right now called “Becoming Myself: Embracing God’s Dream of You” by Stasi Eldredge (which I highly recommend). In many of the beautifully vulnerable prayers that she has written throughout the book, she leads readers to simply asks Jesus to “come” for us. To come into various memories, into our brokenness, and to the various areas of our existence so that we can be healed.

Something profound that Jesus has shown me through this process is that He does come for us- every day of our lives.

His promise of Him coming back for us one day is as sure as His promise that He is here now. He declares His endless presence in Matthew 28:20 (AMP):

“…and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.”

It is even shown in the lovely verses of Psalm 139:7-10 (NIV):

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”

He will faithfully meet us in our sorrows, our victories, our quiet moments, our loneliness, our joys, our boredom, and in our fears. Even through our distraction and doubt, He is immeasurably and infinitely near.

I love the longing for Jesus’ first coming that is beautifully resonated in the lines of hymns like “Come Though Redeemer of the Earth!” I think that they can be interpreted both as holy anthems of our desire for Jesus to come back for us, as well as a demonstration of our longing for Jesus to come and be with us in the here and now. I want to joyfully look forward to the day when our Redeemer of the earth will come back for us and we will physically perceive His closeness. I also want to remember what God has already done, how He came and still comes, and have faith that He is nearer than we can comprehend, even in this very moment.

Come, Thou Redeemer of the Earth
Words by: Saint Ambrose of Milan

Come, Thou Redeemer of the earth,
And manifest Thy virgin birth:
Let every age adoring fall;
Such birth befits the God of all.

Begotten of no human will,
But of the Spirit, Thou art still
The Word of God in flesh arrayed,
The promised Fruit to man displayed.

The virgin womb that burden gained
With virgin honor all unstained;
The banners there of virtue glow;
God in His temple dwells below.

Forth from His chamber goeth He,
That royal home of purity,
A giant in twofold substance one,
Rejoicing now His course to run.

From God the Father He proceeds,
To God the Father back He speeds;
His course He runs to death and hell,
Returning on God’s throne to dwell.

O equal to the Father, Thou!
Gird on Thy fleshly mantle now;
The weakness of our mortal state
With deathless might invigorate.

Thy cradle here shall glitter bright,
And darkness breathe a newer light,
Where endless faith shall shine serene,
And twilight never intervene.

All laud to God the Father be,
All praise, eternal Son, to Thee;
All glory, as is ever meet,
To God the Holy Paraclete.

Much like the rest of the world, Christmas is one of my favorite holidays. Similar to Easter, it is a long holiday that starts well before the day of celebration with a series of preparation days leading up to it. Easter has the overriding theme of Jesus conquering the grave, the days of lent are meant to be a time of repentance and mourning, remembering the weight of sin that Jesus freed us from. While it is a beautiful and reflective time, followed by celebrating the life Christ has given us, it is definitely a heavy hearted holiday.  

Christmas, on the other hand, is purely celebration! I think that’s why we all love it. It is celebrating peace, joy, and love, and we remember how Emmanuel, God with us, brought those things into our world.

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23)  

That gives me chills!  God with us!  Jesus came so that God could be with us again.  He is with us now because the Holy Spirit lives in us now!  As believers we are united with Christ, and now we get to rejoice and worship, over this beautiful story for a whole month!

But sometimes the most beautiful, joyful time of the year becomes the most exhausting and we can’t wait for the stress to be over. This is not the way God wants us to worship and celebrate His Son, “…since God is not a God of disorder but of peace.” (1 Cor 14:33)

Luke 2:13-14 describes the angels proclaiming the good news of the messiah to the shepherds.

 “Glory to God in the highest heaven and peace on earth to people He favors!”

The “people He favors” are believers and because of the coming of Jesus we have peace on earth!

As John F. MacArthur, Jr. writes in his book The Miracle of Christmas, “He offers peace from God (Romans 1:7) to all who are the recipients of His grace.  He makes peace with God (Romans 5:1) for those who surrender to Him in faith.  And He brings the peace of God (Philippians 4:7) to those who walk with Him.”

So why doesn’t it feel that way sometimes? And why do we forget worship in our Christmas celebrations?  Why doesn’t advent always remind me that God is with us?

Oftentimes we are swept along in the bustle of the holidays. We check presents off the lists, worry over who we forgot to bake for, try and schedule a little volunteering, decorate, remember all the traditions… the list goes on and on. Then once a week in church we try and focus on some advent readings as our mind keeps wandering back to the holiday distractions.  

I am guilty of this as much as anyone else.

Aren’t giving gifts and volunteering at soup kitchens good things? Aren’t those things God calls us to do as we walk with Him? So why don’t I feel the peace of God around the holidays? Of course those are good things, but they should never be the focus of our attention, and that is what we need to correct. We have made Christmas into a very hectic holiday, and advent is just the time before it where we prepare, go shopping, and wrap a hundred gifts.

So how do we correct that?  How do we refocus and find the peace of God in the everyday business of life?  Philippians 4:4-9 gives us the answer:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

Read Philippians 4:4-9 three more times.  What stands out to you in those verses?

In response to this passage write down three things you are thankful for, three things you can pray for, and three ways you can rejoice to God this Advent season.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  And be thankful.  Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  -Colossians 3:15-17

Credit: Photo by Sarah Simon of @themintgardener

There are so many inspiring words associated with Advent: arrival, appearance, emergence, dawn, birth, rise, development.

My favorite of these words, especially this year, is dawn.

Dawn gives the idea of new beginnings, light, and waking up.  Dawn is a wonderful metaphor for what happens in our lives when we come to faith in Christ. Christ illuminates the way for us; His light is a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path (Psalm 119:105). If we follow in this path and “walk in this light,” we are cleansed from our sin (1 John. 1:7) – which is only possible because of the Advent of Christ.

Dawn also is beautiful picture of the newness of God’s mercies anytime we mess up. Lamentations 3:22-23 says:

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

No matter what has happened in your life this past year, the Advent season is an invitation to refocus your life and put things in perspective for the celebration of Christ’s birth.

There is a beautiful 19^th century Advent hymn by Edward Caswell that tells of this dawning of God’s mercy on our lives through the First Coming of Christ and the unbelievable joy that will occur with Second Coming.

Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding!
“Christ is nigh!” it seems to say;
“Cast away the dreams of darkness,
O ye children of the day!

Startled at the solemn warning,
Let the earth-bound soul arise;
Christ, her Sun, all ill dispelling,
Shines upon the morning skies.

Lo, the Lamb, so long expected,
Comes with pardon down from heaven.
Let us haste, with tears of sorrow,
One and all, to be forgiven,

That, when next He comes with glory
And the world is wrapped in fear,
With His mercy He may shield us
And with words of love draw near.

Honor, glory, might, and blessing,
To the Father and the Son,
With the everlasting Spirit,
While eternal ages run!

Continuing with the theme of dawn and light, here is some biblical context for the hymn:

Romans 13:11-14

“Besides this, knowing the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is nearly over, and the daylight is near, so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk with decency, as in the daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires.”

John 8:12

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Matthew 5:14

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.”

1 Thessalonians 5:5

“You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.”

Christ is the Light of the World. As the children of God, we are to live life in the light, not in darkness, which is why Caswell’s hymn calls us “children of the day.” Romans 13:12 instructs us to “wake up” and put on the “armor of light” because daylight is near. We are commanded to live in the Light and to be a light to the world.

Referring to the Second Coming of Christ – the Second Advent – Romans 13:11 says, “Salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” With each passing moment, the time of Christ’s Second Coming is closer and closer. This means we have no time to lose in breaking the chains of whatever might be holding us back from serving God at our fullest potential. Knowing this gives us a sense of urgency in following God and sharing the Gospel. And, while it can be quite intimidating to share our faith, the Advent season is both a reminder of the world’s need for a Savior and is an open door to tell people about the real “reason for the season,” as the somewhat cliché (albeit true) saying goes.

Remembering the First Coming and looking towards the Second, we can take great comfort in the fact that if God is for us, no one can be against us (Romans 8:31). So, we can have every confidence in both reorienting our hearts and in going all-out to be the “light of the world” (Matthew 5:14) this Advent season.

If you are in need of direction in refocusing and preparing your heart for Christmas, ask yourself these questions:

• What chains might be holding you back from fully serving God right now?
• What does putting on the “armor of light” look like for you?
• What can you do this Christmas season to be a light to someone?
• What might be dawning for you in the New Year?

Listen to God’s voice. Break away from darkness. Urgently pursue Christ. Joyfully look to life in the Light.  It’s wonderfully bright and others desperately need to see it.

Credit: Calligraphy by Stephanie Ko // www.simplystephko.com // Instagram: @simplystephko

Like Sarah, I have found a new love for hymns as I have entered my twenties that did not exist when I was younger. There is just something about their depth that brings life to my soul, and the same thing can be said of Christmas. If you read my post about fall, then you know how I feel about the end of the year and Christmas most definitely should be included in that.

The Advent season, much like hymns, is something I found boring until I really dove into it a few years ago. Now, my soul craves this time of year. A time of reflection, of renewal, of closure. Advent has become much more than just ritual for me, it’s become a necessity in my approaching each new year with reverence and excitement for what God has done and what He is going to do.

After that very lengthly intro, let’s look at the hymn “Come, Thou Universal Blessing.” In light of everything that is happening around our world, the first verse of this hymn seems so fitting.

        Perfect peace and joy unceasing

        Thro’ the ransom’d nations spread;

        Devilish pride, and brutal passion,

        Far from every heart remove;

        Bless us with thy full salvation,

        Bless us with thy heavenly love

Perfect peace and joy unceasing are even harder to find right now, personally for me and in our world at large. In this time of year that is suppose to be the most joyful, I find myself lacking. I know that they Bible says countless things on joy (see Psalm 27:5-7; James 1:2-3; Psalm 119:23-24; 1 Thessalonians 3:9 and over 100 more scriptures). The knowledge of seeking Christ for joy doesn’t make it any easier if it remains knowledge alone.

I’m worried about how I can buy the perfect gift for everyone on my list for about $5 total. I’m worried about how I will balance only five days back home and three Christmases that I must attend. I’m angry about all the injustice in the world. Clearly, I’m rocking the peace and joy business.

My problem is that I haven’t left Christ give me FULL salvation. I’ve allowed Him to become part of my life, an item I check off on my long list of to-dos. I haven’t allowed Him to seep into every part of my life, and that is when I will find His perfect peace and unceasing joy. I haven’t taken Philippians 4:4-9 to heart.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

I haven’t rejoiced in Christ. I haven’t focused on what is true. I haven’t gone to Christ in prayer for everything.

But, I cannot focus on all these things like more to-do’s to add to my to-do list. I need to focus on Christ and what He did by coming to earth so many years ago. Because when I focus on Him and my relationship with Him, all these other things will fall into place.

Christ first.

That is what Advent is all about. Reminding us that He is the center and in Him I have FULL salvation, UNENDING joy, and PERFECT peace.

Come, Thou Universal Blessing
Words by: Charles Wesley

Come, thou-universal Blessing,
Abraham’s long-expected Seed;
Perfect peace and joy unceasing
Thro’ the ransom’d nations spread:
Devilish pride, and brutal passion,
Far from every heart remove;
Bless us with thy full salvation,
Bless us with thy heavenly love.

Happy is the man forgiven,
This let every sinner feel;
Taste in Thee, his present heaven ;
Pant for greater blessings still;
O that all anew created,
Might thine Image here retrieve;
Then to paradise-translated,
In thy glorious presence live!

Credit: Photo by Sarah Simon // Instagram: @themintgardener