Advent is a time of “getting ready” for the Season of Christmas. Christmas celebrates the Birth of the Messiah: Jesus. Yes that involves, for some of us, shopping for special foods and gifts for family and friends that are often given during the 12 days of Christmas.
For the early Church Advent was a time of preparation with such tasks as making small gifts for friends and family as part of the celebration. It was honoring the gifts that the Wise Men brought to the infant Jesus in the manger. Advent reminds us that the true gift is preparing for the Christmas: The birth of our Lord! It is not so much about the “stuff.” It is about the giving of ourselves and our time and talents. It is about our being with others and seeing in one another the Image of the Divine: “Imago Dei.”
Take time this Advent Season to pray, to get ready for the gift from God during this Christmas Season. Take time for quiet. Take time for prayer, worship and remembering those who have no place to lay their heads. Remember that when Advent ends we celebrate the most holy gift given to us: Jesus, God’s own Son.
May God bless us and keep us in His Grace.
+Bishop Duncan
