The season of Advent is here! The word Advent comes from the Latin verb advenire which means “to come toward, to draw near, to approach.” During Advent, we remember and celebrate God’s drawing near to us in Jesus Christ, fully human, yet fully divine. The scriptures, music and hymns of Advent present the narrative of the love of God revealed to the world through Jesus the Christ.

Advent gives us the opportunity to look ahead to what will be in the fullness of time, when the promise of the second coming of Christ reveals fully the kingdom of God and the renewal of all things to culmination and wholeness.

Our culture offers us busyness, consumerism, overwhelming marketing and the opportunity to spend money we don’t have on things we don’t need. Advent allows us the space and the liturgy to prepare our hearts once again for the indwelling of Christ without the need to perform. As we pursue Jesus through Holiness of Heart and Holiness of Life we practice Advent through the liturgy and music in worship, the prayers and reading of scriptures in our devotional life as we live out the compassion of Christ in acts of kindness and mercy which lead us to stand for those on the margins and work for God’s justice for the poor and oppressed.

I look forward to seeing you in church as we celebrate the season of the coming of Christ!

God’s Keeping,

Mary