I got a bit of a head start on the holiday season last week, reading these words in an Advent devotional, (the same day I spent way too much time browsing Black Friday sales to purchase a few gifts and designing my Christmas card online):
So now we pause. Still. Ponder. Hush. Wait. Each day of Advent, He gives you the gift of time, so you have time to be still and wait.
Wait for the coming of the God in the manger who makes Himself bread for us near starved.
For the Savior in swaddling who makes Himself the robe of righteousness for us worn out.
For Jesus, who makes precisely what none of us can but all of us want: Christmas.
(Ann Voskamp, The Greatest Gift, x).
If I’m honest, the words pause, still, ponder and hush are words my soul craves during the Christmas season. Yet, I find myself all too easily pulled into the hustle and bustle of festivities, instead of waiting for Jesus during Advent. What I want most, and what I choose to fill my time with, (Why did I say “yes” to one more holiday invitation?) are sometimes at odds. These words encourage me: “He gives you the gift of time, so you have time to be still and wait.” Advent is a season of waiting, of preparing our hearts for the coming of Christ. Each day is a new invitation to treasure and ponder the gift of Jesus.
As I look at the list of offerings in this newsletter, I want you to know that our desire is not to bombard you with more activities, with more things to check off your to-do list during the Christmas season. We offer these opportunities because we believe that they will help you to wait for and ponder the gift of Jesus during Advent. Whether it is through finding a few quiet moments to read the Advent devotional, through experiencing the joy of Christian community at our Christmas party, or by taking a morning to serve refugee families, it is our prayer that each of these opportunities will help focus your hearts on the gift that Jesus brings to our lives. We pray that Jesus will meet you in new and surprising ways during this season of Advent, and we look forward to celebrating the joy that his presence brings to our lives this Christmas!
– Miriam
Painting by Nancy Livengood