Advent

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (John 1:14 NIV)

The Christmas season can be busy and stressful. There are cards to write,  decorations to put up, gifts to purchase, gatherings to attend, and goodies to bake. This period is known for its frenzied consumerism. Hardly anyone finds the time to sit still. 

It wasn’t always like this. 

Early Christians used the weeks before Christmas to slow down. The Advent season was a sacred time of anticipation and contemplation. They fasted in preparation for the Lord. They feasted on the Word. They waited to be filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.  

Advent can be a time of gestation--a season of thinking and developing. Like a broody hen sitting on a clutch of eggs, it is  a time of stillness and waiting. Our half-formed understanding is enfleshed by the Spirit. As we contemplate the Word, Christ is formed within us. Our embryonic faith grows. Our lives become visibly and tangibly transformed by the presence of God in our midst.