Let This be the Year that you Claim Advent for the Season of Hope and Expectation that It is!

The Second Sunday of Advent is coming up and I encourage you to settle in and welcome yourself to Advent.  Advent, as you may know, is a season of preparation.  It is a season of hope and expectation and I would even go further as to say it is a season of refocusing. I want to give you a couple of things to think about this Advent.

LOS ANGELES, CA - Every year, the world gets more accustomed to instant gratification in all things. Where the world says 'now', Advent says 'wait'.  But, what are we we waiting on?  One of the readings for the first Sunday of Advent is from Isaiah (2:1-5) where Isaiah tells of the mountain of the Lord in which all people come together in peace. The swords are beaten into plowshares and the spears into pruning hooks. It's excellent imagery. 

I encourage you to read it and really pray over it. We're waiting for the 'Day of the Lord' in which all people come together and walk in the light of the Lord. His love is so relentless that in that day it will not be bound by our pettiness and resistance. We are waiting for the Lord and Advent is a reminder of this hope that we have of the day that we will not limit his peace and provision by our sin.

Advent is a re-acquaintance each year with the hopeful nature of our faith. Our faith has no dearth of hope or joy.  It is there for the claiming, though we often leave it for another day. What stops us from claiming the hope that God has for us?  I think sometimes we feel that we have to get 'things in order' before we can truly claim this hope that is set before us. This hope is here to stay whether we claim it or not. Therefore, let us lay aside every weight that so easily ensnares us and run with boldness the race that is set before us... (wait... that sounds familiar! --from Hebrews 12). 

Don't delay in claiming the hope of which Advent reminds us. Advent is a season of new beginnings. Look with great anticipation for these new beginnings. Don't wait until the season is over to breathe. Let this be the year that you claim Advent for the season of hope and expectation that it is. Make the most of the time. Prepare your heart by claiming the hope of our salvation and the day of peace in the Lord. 

And, once you have resolved to claim this hope, do something (and slowing down is doing something, by the way). Spend time with family.  Laugh. Pray with your friends. Read a good book.Volunteer.
Make a pie for someone for no reason. Spread the hope of the season. Read about Advent wreaths and make one with your family or friends. Be patient (remember that when you're behind the wheel). Actively wait for the Lord and look for God in all that you do and everyone you meet. Don't let the obligations of the season wear you down--it's not worth it. And remember... 'We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come'. That life starts now. Get at it

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