First Sunday of Advent
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: Advent! Since I was a kid, I’ve always loved the season of Advent. Growing up, my parents would read the Bible to us every night in December— starting with the creation of the world and ending with the birth of Jesus. The suspense of our family tradition made every Christmas day exciting. And the year that I moved away and didn’t uphold this family tradition, this excitement and anticipation stopped. The lead up to the 25th was entirely anticlimactic and I chalked it up to being too old to get excited for Christmas. But the child inside of me did not accept this, so I was determined to make the next Christmas better. I had so much planned for the following year, and yet again Christmas came and went leaving me unsatisfied.
As I battled my struggle with Christmas, I noticed that I was finding a new love for Thanksgiving. People think it’s just a national holiday where you eat food, and I guess it could be, but the more Thanksgivings I spent away from my family, the more it formed a special place in my heart. Every year, I looked forward to a new home welcoming me, new traditions to join, and new adventures that always worked out for the best. Thanksgiving was never boring and I always seemed to end the day feeling content. I began to reflect on this more and realized that it was probably due to the fact that I spent much of November in reflection and gratitude. Meanwhile, December is spent buying gifts, making travel plans, and finishing up loose ends at work before the holiday break.
At this time in my life, I realized that Christmas joy was slowly being taken from me because instead of celebrating Advent, I was so focused on the single Christmas day. I am encouraged by Jesus’ words this Sunday: “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” For the last few years, I have made steps to stay awake during Advent and not let my favorite season be forgotten. Advent is a season of newness, hope, and simplicity. I find that staying awake to the ordinary moments of December is where I find Jesus reborn in my heart again and again. Living Advent with intentionality has transformed my Christmas season and I feel once again as I did as a child. If we want our Christmas mornings to be magical again, I encourage everyone to start recognizing the birth of Jesus in their hearts today.