Advent is Coming. Are You Ready?

By Amanda Bixler, Worship Coordinator 

Well, whether you are ready for it or not, the holiday season is upon us! And as much as this season is about family, festive lights, gatherings, gifts, and warm drinks in Starbucks holiday cups, it is also a time to celebrate the birth and coming of a Messiah, Jesus. In fact, that’s exactly what the term Advent means – ‘coming’ in Latin. The season of Advent is literally a time to wait and celebrate Jesus coming to this world in love and setting up camp amongst us. One biblical translation even writes, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood” (John 1:14, The Message). This is a season that is set aside in the Christian calendar as a time to expectantly wait and actively prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Often times there are specific advent readings and themes of hope, peace, joy and love that are associated with the month of December and specifically the four weeks leading up to Christmas. Traditionally, Advent is an eager and hopeful time of the year where we countdown to the 25th, trade our traditional calendars for Advent ones, and read scripture passages that lead up to the birth of our Savior.

We are so excited for this season and the ways we get to celebrate Jesus’ birth in Worship Island! November was a heavily focused month on thankfulness – being thankful to God of all that he has done for us and given to us. Continuing on that momentum, each weekend in December will be focused on a different aspect of the biblical Christmas narrative and why we are thankful for Jesus coming. These weekends leading up to Christmas will be a time to read through the Christmas story, learn more about each person involved in Jesus’ birth, and how they all interacted with one another. Our first through fourth graders will have the opportunity to really engage with the Christmas narrative and hopefully encounter Jesus in a new way.

Our desire is that this journey through the Christmas story and celebration of Jesus’ birth would not just be something that happens in Worship Island on Sunday mornings. As you sign in your children each week, we will have packets available with supplemental advent information and scripture readings that we hope you will partake in with your children. It has been our experience that when families engage in worship together through the reading of scripture and discussion, a deep richness occurs. Our prayer is that as we all enter into this exciting, busy, and joyous season of Advent, we would all be drawn closer to the heart of God and to the reality that Jesus came and lived among us.