Advent 2019: December 12, 2019

When my children were little, (they are now 38 and 34, so this was many years ago), they would wait at our big picture window waiting for Daddy to come home from work. As I was cooking dinner and setting the table, I could hear our son explain to our daughter, “No that is not daddy’s car”, again and again. Then, I knew that Daddy had rounded the corner to our street and house, by the excitement of them deciding who was going to hug daddy first and tell of the adventures of the day.

I think of Advent in the same way. We sit waiting, sometimes patiently and sometimes not so much, preparing for the birth of Jesus. There are so many things that we feel that we need to do, shop for those on our list, clean the house, put up the tree, decorate, cook, bake cookies. Well, the list can go on. The excitement of our young grandchildren delighting in the lights and decorations makes me think back to those early days. We also need to prepare our hearts and minds during this time, take the time for quiet reflection, take the time to read devotions that will open and prepare your heart for the days to come. Make a tradition of sitting as a family, lighting the Advent wreath and reading together the lesson for the day. Sometimes the loudest message of the season comes from the quietest moment. The older we get, the quicker those days come, and we need to be prepared, so start or end your day with a peaceful moment giving thanks for all that we have received, and just sit and listen to the quiet of the day.