How to observe Advent
We all have habits and rhythms in our lives. The question is, do these habits and rhythms draw us in to what matters most or distract us and keep us from it? Advent is a time to reflect on the deeper longings of our hearts and the hope of Jesus’ coming, past, present, and future. Advent is a nice idea in theory, but if we don’t make any changes to our daily or weekly lives the business of the season will take over. If you don’t have any Advent traditions or liturgies, we wanted to offer a few suggestions to get you started. The goal of these liturgies or practices is to tune our hearts to that which is eternal and give our souls room to breath and find their rest in Jesus our Savior and King.
Give something up. Advent is about longings and hope. Far too often we numb or distract ourselves from our longings, and place our hope in things that can’t deliver. What are the things that distract you from reflecting on your need for Jesus? Can you give something up this month to give your soul room to breath and reflect? Examples could be some kind of food or drink, technology (social media, phone, news), etc. The idea is to give up the things that distract so we can listen to the deeper longings of our hearts and of our world.
Do something new. Advent is about the light of Jesus coming into darkness. Is there something you can do to slow down and reflect on this past, present, and future hope? Is there a daily or weekly rhythm you could implement to tap into the meaning of Christ’s coming? Here are some simple ideas:
Advent Wreath – The Advent wreath is an age old tradition to capture our imagination and carry us through the season. Here’s how to get started:
How to make a wreath
Purchase Advent Candles
Devotional book for families
Sabbath meal by candlelight – Do something weekly that allows you to unplug and connect with friends and or family. Take time to go to some deeper places in life and reflect on your own longings and hopes for the future and what Jesus coming means to you.
Pray daily for a difficult or dark place in your life – Where is there darkness in your life? Sadness in your life? Struggle in your life? These are often places we try not to think about because we get overwhelmed by the darkness of it. Advent is a time to go to these places and pray that the Lord Jesus would shine his light. It’s a time to sit in darkness and not be afraid, because we have the hope of the Light of Christ. Where is that place for you? How might you pray daily for this place in your life leading up to Christmas? It could be as simple as praying daily for your workplace, city, neighborhood, or family.
Advent reading Plan – You version has some great daily scripture reading plans for Advent. This would be a good way to spend your devotional time: Browse Plans. If you are looking for something family friendly, these cards are great: Daily Advent Table Cards for Kids
Find Ways to Give – Christmas is often a time of over-consumption. To counter that, we need to find more ways to be generous. There are plenty of opportunities to be generous this Advent Season. In partnership with the World School and Yesler Community Center we are giving gift cards, household items for homeless families, and games and books for the Holiday Community Night.
We hope these ideas are helpful. Our prayer for the CCC church family is that our souls would be awakened to the eternal life we have in Jesus. Jesus has come for us, he comes to us today by his Spirit, and he is coming again. Come Lord Jesus, Come!