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Get Ready, Get Set....Wait

Advent is a time of preparation but what are we getting ready for? It seems to me that the holidays we celebrate have become extremely consumer oriented, filled with advertisements encouraging us to spend money and eat more. The Advent we celebrate in the church, however, is completely different. We wait for the coming of the Lord. The way we vision Advent determines our approach to Christmas. Is it the trip to the Christmas Market, the winter cruise you are planning or the journey to Bethlehem? Are you even ready for Christmas? Maybe you say “Christmas can’t come yet, I don’t have all my shopping done!” No matter how you view Advent, Christmas will come whether we are ready or not. Jesus will come whether we are ready or not.

Inviting Emmanuel

Advent invites us to examine our life, look to the future and the coming of Christ. Maybe it isn’t something you want to hear as you plan your holidays, but Advent is about waiting, planning, and preparing and anticipating the coming of our Savior! Christmas is about celebrating the Incarnation who came to dwell in the flesh of a human, to live, walk, laugh and to cry, to suffer with us - with all of mankind. One of my very favorite Advent songs is “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”. Emmanuel means “God with us.”

Homework

Maybe you don’t feel much like celebrating but whether you’re ready or not Christmas will come, Emmanuel will come! And that is what’s so amazing. God comes into our lives when we least expect it. We can’t predict it but we can prepare for it. God sends the Messiah to come to life in our lives. Emmanuel doesn’t mean God HAS BEEN with us. It isn’t God WILL BE with us. It means God WITH US. Right here, right now. Are you ready?