by Darcia Kunkel

Preparing Our Advent Hearts.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

How do you prepare for the Christmas season? To be honest, I get a little crazy, distracted, and overwhelmed by all of the commercialism, parties, gift-giving, baking, card-sending, visiting relatives, and yes….even the holiday flavors of my favorite coffee venues.

As a child, I could not wait for Christmas Eve church service and all the presents on Christmas day. I never noticed the worn-out look on my mother’s face as she tried to buy (and wrap) the perfect gifts, clean the house, and prepare the holiday meal.  To this day, her gifts each have a special cutout tag (from last year’s Christmas cards) with a funny, hand-written, clue to decipher the item inside.

I both love and dread this time of year. Our family chooses a live tree and decorates the day after Thanksgiving. Time to bring out the Advent wreath….let the devotionals, candle-lighting, and Wednesday services begin! I admit that it often feels like a required tradition rather than true preparation for the Advent season.

The word advent is derived from the Latin words “ad venire”, which means “to come.” Synonyms include: arrival, appearance, emergence, birth, and rise. During advent, we are to prepare our hearts for the arrival of Christ, both as an infant in a lowly manger and as the reigning king during the second coming.

When we try to fill our lives with the secular meaning of the holidays we are often left unfulfilled, burned out, and empty. Only Jesus can give us the true peace that we seek in an increasingly distracted, preoccupied, and restless world.

Lord, please help me make you the priority this Christmas season. Let me quiet my heart, and listen to the soft whisper of your son….the Christ, the Savior, and the King!

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.
Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
John 14:27 English Standard Version

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado