Advent

A couple years ago, I decided to start following the Christian Year. I don't know about anyone else, but it's so easy just to get lost in day-to-day stuff, that I lose eternal perspective & get too focused on myself. I've found the Christian Year to be a great way to get outside myself & identify with the larger Body of Christ. Life takes on a beautiful sense of rhythm, focus & formation as I've journeyed through the different seasons of the Church.

Today marks the beginning of Advent, the season in which Christians all over the world focus on the coming of Christ - his coming to Bethlehem 2,000 years ago, his coming into our own lives, and his future coming to set all things right. It's a time to beg God to break in, interfere, & disrupt our lives. This morning, I went to the Catholic Church down the street from us for their morning mass. As always, it was a beautiful experience. As the service began, they turned off the lights to represent the darkness in a world without Christ. As the lights came on, the procession of the cross made its way down the center aisle as we sang O Come Emmanuel. We said the Lord's Prayer together, greeted each other, went through the readings, heard a short sermon, and of course the centerpiece of our time together - partook of Christ in Communion.

I pray you all have a great Advent season and fully celebrate the true reason for a holiday that's been hijacked by consumerism. To those who are interested, I'd encourage you to give a listen to Chris Seay's sermon from November 12, quite possibly the best sermon I've ever heard. I'd be interested in your response. Take care.