This Sunday, we begin a journey through a season called Advent. For those unfamiliar with Advent, it is a time where we prepare our hearts to look backward to Jesus' first coming at Christmas and where we look forward to when Jesus will come again. Like the Israelites in exile who longed for God to come and redeem them, we look at the ways we still feel exiled from our true home because of the sin and brokenness in our world. And we long for and cling to Jesus, who promises to come and set things right.
The season of Advent teaches us to wait in wonder and suspense for God. But admittedly, this is not how most of us experience this season. Instead, the weeks leading up to Christmas can feel like the busiest time of the year, with little room for waiting or wonder. And while the familiar songs and stories of baby Jesus born in a manger may make us feel wistful or nostalgic, they may not offer us the comfort we are truly longing for. But what if Advent could be more? What if even in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, we could learn to experience the hope, peace, joy, and love that Jesus offers in fresh ways? This is our hope for our church family this Advent.
This year, our theme for celebrating Christmas is "Manger Throne." Each week, we will spend time pondering the mystery of King Jesus born in a lowly manger and we'll see how his humility and kingship together are the key to us experiencing the four main themes of Advent: hope, peace, joy, and love. One of the ways we will do this is by joining together in a collective practice during the lighting of the Advent candle. These practices are meant to invite us into a different way of inhabiting the Christmas season, where we learn to slow down amidst all the busyness and make space for God – for hoping, for breathing, for savouring, for giving and receiving his love. For each practice, we will be writing a special weekly devotional blog, which you'll receive the Monday following each service, that will offer insights for continuing to engage in the practice throughout the week.
Four years ago, I worked through a devotional much like this one, and the practices completely transformed my experience of Advent to the point where I noticed myself finding God in all kinds of moments where I had never seen him before – eating at my dinner table, waiting in grocery store lineups, even washing my hands in the bathroom. My hope is that Jesus will meet you in a similar way as you engage in these practices, so that whatever this season brings for you, you would know the comforting presence of the humble king who rescues and rules over it all.
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