Preparing for Christmas

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We are entering into one of the most important times in the year; a time that is so important for the Church to celebrate properly – especially in our fast-paced culture. The season that I am talking about is Advent – the season of waiting for the celebration of the coming of the Lord at Christmas. We are living in a culture that is increasingly negative to the concept of waiting which makes the season of Advent uniquely pertinent for teaching and reminding us of the value of waiting for God. I have discovered that I can easily become irritated with having to wait in lines, wait for food at a restaurant, or wait for information to load up on my computer. The irony of this is that as the processes of life become quicker and more available, my expectation level of speed and efficiency goes up in proportion. While this is a reasonable reaction, I also know that the time I spent in the jungles of South America I had to learn the practice of patience. I also learned something even more valuable -- that in slowing down and spending time alone with God and my thoughts, I grew more in wisdom, knowledge, and faith than I did at any other time in my life. In a culture where I was forced to become more deliberate in my living, I learned the wisdom of “be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Advent is the season of the year when the Church speaks a different word than the culture. Our culture leads us to frenetic activity to prepare for Christmas as we think about gifts, parties, activities and schedules in the month of December. While these things are good and help us to celebrate Christmas, Advent also reminds us that we need times of quiet, solitude and meditation to grow spiritually to fully understand the meaning of Christmas. The meaning of Advent is in the waiting. Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; ‘great is Your faithfulness’. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him." The LORD is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. (Lamentations 3:22-26). Selah
Steve