Advent

Advent – what is it? Is it more than a cute, decorative calendar with chocolate tucked inside from Target? It’s defined as ‘the arrival of a notable person, thing or event.’ So, as we are getting ready for Christmas – planning the family get togethers, shopping for presents and baking (or buying) the treats – we should add another thing to our list. In perhaps the busiest season, take a minute to see how you can prepare your heart for Christmas. In the midst of the endless tasks, the parties you are hosting and the ones you have to attend, but don’t want to, make some room.

Make some room

How many times have you heard (or read or said) ‘she laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn?’ It’s part of the story we may take for granted when we breeze through Luke 2. While we might ‘keep Christ in Christmas’ and remember that ‘Jesus is the reason for the season,’ we forget to actually make room for Jesus. We are rushing through the season (maybe it’s not the most wonderful time of the year for you) and we’re honestly so focused on getting ready for the day that we aren’t at all ready for Jesus. But we can learn a lot from the shepherds and the wise men.

Exceeding Great Joy

Surprises are great. When you’re surprised with good news, you feel some sense of excitement or happiness – but it won’t last forever. Now, if you’ve been really looking forward to something with great anticipation – if your very life is banking on something that really needs to happen – and it does, that’s more than fleeting excitement. That’s what the shepherds and the wise men felt. They had been seeking a Savior – the Messiah mattered to them. They needed God to come through for them and He did. The exceeding great joy they felt was because they were looking for a Savior, they believed He would come, and He did.

If you want to feel that joy, look for the Savior.