What’s the big deal with Advent?
Advent is from the latin adventus and means coming. This is the time that the church celebrates the coming of Immanuel (God With Us). This is the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It marks the day when the world was turned upside down and Love came to conquer death. To steal a lyric it’s the most wonderful time of the year.
That’s why this year I wanted to lead us into a season of reflection and worship. My family and I encountered Advent Conspiracy through a small group last year and it was a starting place for our journey. What it did is allow us to take a step back and consider whether or not we were satisfied in our Christmas. We began to look at our activities and actions and evaluate whether they were worshiping Christ or whether they were more or less distracting to our worship of Christ.
For myself I am on a continual journey and process of recognizing places where my heart is trying to be satisfied without Jesus. What I find is that there is no lasting satisfaction, fulfillment or Joy outside of my life in Christ.
Galatians 2:20 says I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh i live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Without Christ I’m just breathing to death and when I recognize that he has given me life, his life through faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me I cannot help but be moved with love to want to please him. I want to please him all the time, but there is something brewing in me that makes me want to be especially mindful of pleasing Him on His birthday.
I hope that you’ll join in the journey to examine Christmas and take in the opportunity to Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More and Love all. This Advent we are free to worship Christ and I guarantee that Christmas will be more fulfilling the more room we make for Him to be the center of our celebration.
Want to find out more? adventconspiracy.org
May you be satisfied in Christ this Christmas.
Rich Irwin III
