I don’t like to stop. I often am afraid that while I’m asleep I’ll miss something important. This is a large reason why I stay up late and rise early. But there’s another kind of sleep that has crept in and started to affect us all. It’s the sleep of complacency. Continue reading
Tag: Christmas (Page 10 of 11)
Since there are only so many weeks to celebrate Christmas and there are some pretty great Christmas songs, I thought it’d be good to take a few weeks of our #musicmonday this year and celebrate Christmas. Christmas this year is a song that talks of the transition between fall and Christmas. The message is one of anticipation. Continue reading
For those of you that know me well, one thing you would certainly not say is that I’m a traditional kind of guy. I don’t sit still long enough to establish traditions. I love to try new things with the intent of meeting and connecting with new people. I’m one of those blaze your own trail kind of guys. Or to quote another phrase grass doesn’t grow under my feet. Continue reading
Today marks the beginning of a new time in the church called advent. But what in the world do all of these names mean anyway? It can be a little overwhelming, especially if you’ve never really been involved in the church. And to be 100% honest, I would venture to guess that many of you who do attend church on a regular basis might have a couple of questions.
Advent is that time leading up to Christmas. It’s not Christmas. It’s advent. It starts the Sunday after Thanksgiving and lasts until Christmas Eve. Things in the church change a little bit when advent starts. If you’re in a church with colorful fabric coverings on an altar, then these will likely change to blue. You’ll typically see an advent wreath pop up somewhere in the church. And it’s very likely that you’ll have a manger scene somewhere in your worship facility.
Advent is a time of waiting. It’s a time for followers of Jesus to wait for the coming of Christmas. Just like the people of Israel throughout the Old Testament had to wait for the one they called Messiah, so also we must wait.
All too often though we don’t give advent much thought. We try to rush past advent because Christmas is the exciting time. We want to get past all of those candles and jump right into the presents. Each of the candles on the advent wreath are reminders of gifts already given. The candles of hope, love, peace, and joy all point us forward to the day when we’ll see it exactly as it’s supposed to be seen.
So this advent don’t rush. Take your time. Enjoy each day. Live in each moment. Slow down. Breathe. Feel the calm of waiting. For some of us type-A people waiting is pretty rough stuff. Before advent even arrived I was off and planning Easter stuff. The challenge is real but the struggle is worth it. Advent is such a rich time in the life of the church.
This advent season we’re trying to bring back the richness of these days of waiting and preparation. The church I serve, Living Word, is having a little fun this advent by taking pictures of various things throughout the season. Things that remind us of what advent really means. Feel free to head on over to join us for the fun. Or make up your own way to celebrate the season. But whatever you do, slow down through this time and just enjoy every moment because you’ll never get them back.
Be with the ones you love. Love the ones you’re with. Serve the ones you can. Pray for those you can’t serve. But in all things know that this advent the King is coming.
Mondays are great days to look back and to look ahead. When we look back, we reflect on where we’ve been. We see the good and the bad. We, at times, relive the mistakes we’ve made. We feel regret over our failures. Shame often takes over and brings us to our knees in what we believe to be a pile of nothingness. But other days when we look back we can smile because we know that through all of it, God was always by our side. Continue reading
Since Christmas is by all appearances behind us, I thought it important to post another Christmas song this week. Actually, Christmas is a season. It’s not just a single day. I’m sure that if you drive through your neighborhood tonight, you’ll likely see trees disposed by the curb, lights removed, and extra garbage by the curb. But it’s important that as followers of Jesus, we keep Christmas going! This week’s song will hopefully do just that – keep Christmas going! Continue reading
A favorite Christian artist of mine has to be Casting Crowns. They have a way of putting such amazing story into their songs. This one was supposed to be up yesterday on Christmas morning but for some reason it didn’t make it. So here it is.
While you were sleeping some amazing things have happened! There have been some huge changes to the landscape of our lives overnight. It’s amazing what can be missed while we sleep. Continue reading
It’s Christmas Eve! Tonight is the night when the children will all be snuggled in their beds. They’ll have a hard time sleeping as they await the coming of Christmas morning. But tonight should be a Silent Night. Continue reading
I love the season of Christmas! It’s wonderful and gives a strange sense of warmth that just isn’t there the rest of the year. But this year’s been somewhat different. There have been a lot of things going on this year and I just feel busier than normal. I’ve not really felt that whole Christmas spirit thing that I normally have by early October. Continue reading
This is one of my favorite songs of the Christmas season. It’s not an easy one to sing, especially for someone who isn’t all that great at singing. But it’s an uplifting song. Listen to the words. If you have a hard time keeping up, check out the lyrics here. Continue reading
