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Preparation

             This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)

 

            Yesterday was the first Sunday in Advent. I didn’t grow up with this ritual. It was basically introduced to me when I started snowbirding. This year, it seems to be taking a stronger hold. According to Zondervan Press,

[it] is a time of preparation, not for the extra expenses or family gatherings, but to remember the Christ child who came to live among us to secure our redemption. It is a time to pause and cherish God. Advent is also the anticipation of Christ’s return at the Second Coming.’

                I even went so far as to purchase the book, The Advent Project from which I took that quote. It’s a devotional, with reflection questions for each day. I especially relate to the third question for December 1 (yes, I’m already behind!) It has to do with whether I feel harried or overwhelmed by the approaching holiday. Ha! I work in retail! And truth told, most of my stress doesn’t have to do specifically with the holiday, but it crowds out Christmas. The follow up question harkens back to what I said not long ago about making this Christmas different. How can I carve out time for reflection – or for that which will give me joy this Christmas?

                I don’t have a good answer to that because it seems as if anything I try to do will just add to the insanity. One “not so bad” answer is that as I work on clearing the physical clutter, that I listen to Christmas music or podcasts that will feed my soul and turn my heart heavenward. But at this point, your reading what I’m going to try isn’t useful to you – what are you going to do?

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