Series Information

December is a busy time for most of us. It’s the end of the calendar year and we have presents to buy, traditions to continue, loved ones to see as we prepare for Christmas. But liturgically, Advent is the beginning of the year, a special season where we prepare not our houses or trees or holiday menus – but ourselves for the coming of Christmas. It’s a time where we align ourselves with God’s people of long ago who waited, hoping and wishing for the promised messiah. It’s a time of both the anticipation of Christ coming and the adoration of His glory when He does!

It is easy for our religious traditions to become rote and for Advent to be swallowed up by Christmas entirely. We love the Christmas Carols, the Advent Wreath and all the trappings of the season – but is that a deep love for the meaning behind them or for the nostalgia we feel from our youth? My favorite Christmas carol is Hark! The Herald Angels Sing! And, it’s a great example of this because the first word – ‘Hark!’ – is a word we associate with Christmas and never use the rest of the year. My hope for us this Advent season is to reignite the right feelings of Advent as we Hark which means ‘to listen’ to the candles and carols of Jesus.