Saturday, November 28, 2009

Spiritual Sundays: A Time of Preparation

This Sunday is the first of the four Sundays in Advent. A special time in the Christian church when we prepare for the coming of our Lord Jesus, God's son and our Savior.

Purchasing and wrapping gifts, sending out Christmas cards and letters, making breads and cookies, and decorating our homes and trees, are all a part of the preparations we make for Christmas. But we cannot stop there or we will lose sight of the meaning of this special season in all the activity and commercialism

When our children were home we made the effort to have special devotions every night starting with the first Sunday in Advent. We used an Advent Wreath with candles to light, told stories, read special devotions and scriptures, sang hymns, and prayed together. Each night one of the kids lit a candle or opened a "door" on the Advent Calendar. It was a time to stop, take a deep breath and center ourselves. The Christmas programs and special church services also kept our focus on waiting for Baby Jesus' birth. It was a time of anticipation and joy for all of us~ A time of expectant waiting. There are so many special memories of these times that I hold close to my heart. As empty nesters, we still make an effort to keep some of these traditions going. I am sure all of you have your own ways of keeping the "reason for the season" in your Christmas preparations.

As we begin once again this season of preparation, may we find joy and meaning in each and every day as we await the celebration of a small baby with the power to save the world!
For more inspirational posts stop by Spiritual Sundays: www.bloggerspirit.blogspot..com

10 comments:

Ginger~~Enchanting Cottage said...

This sounds like it was such a wonderful tradition. What a perfect way to celebrate. So many of us are so busy doing this and doing that, we just don't make the time for the real reason of it all.
God Bless,
Ginger

Musings of A Minister said...

Wonderful. This post is full of memories and meaning. Very helpful as we start this wonderful season for all the right reasons.

Cathy said...

Jesus is the reason for the season. I am trying to keep Christ in Christmas in this secular "Holiday" world.

Karen said...

Advent is something I did not know about until the past few years. It is a lovely tradition. Beautiful post. God bless you this season.

RCUBEs said...

I love Christmas, for the primary reason that it reminds us of the hope Jesus brought when He came here. God bless you and have a great weekend!

Charlotte said...

We did not have this tradition in our home or our church. I wish we had. I think it's wonderful. Thank you for sharing.
Blessings,
Charlotte

kymber said...

Hi Renee,
Oh how I miss those special years when my children were young - we used to build special memories with our children around the holidays as well. Now that they are older, it find that I miss those times but I am so glad that I used the opportunity to help build those traditions into their lives. I hope and pray that as they start their families that they will return to those special times and continue them in THEIR households as well.
Blessings to you,
Kymber

❀~Myrna~❀ said...

That was beautifully said .I love the Advent season ,along with all the hustle & bustle of Christmas , celebrating advent each night , puts the focus back on the true meaning of Christmas .I wish you a joyous start to the Christmas Season !
~Myrna

Jan Lyn said...

Beautifully put. I am blessed by my husband faithfully keeping advent with our children. He purchased a special advent ring with the children of the world displayed around it. Every year it catches us off guard it seems to come so soon and we need to run out and purchase candles. It says Peace, Hope, Joy and Love on it and the girls especially enjoy taking turns lighting it. :)

Fliterary said...

What a sweet way to celebrate with your family and now such sweet memories. I love the things that cause us to slow down and remember the true meaning of Christmas.