Words From A Shepherd’s Heart

It’s that wonderful time of year when we get to celebrate…Advent! What is Advent? Some of you may be thinking of the calendars with chocolate or other treats children get to count down the days until Christmas. I have even seen Lego ones and ones for pets! In the church community, Advent refers to the four weeks leading up to Christmas and a time when we reflect on what it means that Jesus was born; that God became human. There are many ways to make it fun and meaningful for you, your children, and your whole family. 

For me, observing Advent has become a way to pull away from the busyness and distractions of a commercialized Christmas and really enjoy what this season means as a follower of Jesus. It has also helped us with this focus as a family. My children (who are now 16, 18, and 20) still look forward to lighting the candle on our Advent wreath and looking up the daily question on our Advent calendar (I think I need to ask more challenging questions this year!).

The Bible tells us Jesus was fully God and fully human. I recently read an author talking about the importance of understanding this concept for our faith. Why is it so important? For one thing, it makes the rest of his life, death, and resurrection believable. If Jesus really is God, then of course he can do miracles like healing the sick, casting out demons, and raising the dead. If Jesus really is God, then he could live a sinless life and die for my sins. If Jesus really is God, then he can rise from the dead!

The other side of it is just as important. If Jesus really is human, then he knows what it feels like to be human – to be sad, to be happy, to grieve when someone dies, to know how hard temptation is, and to feel lonely. We have a God who understands what it’s like to be us. We can freely come to him with what is bothering us and know that Jesus experienced things that bothered him, too. I don’t know about you but I find that very comforting.

This Christmas, make room for celebrating Advent. It’s not hard but it does take some planning. I’ve included a number of free resources that will help you. If you’ve never done this before, start simple for this year and then plan how you want to add to your observance next year. I think this will become a favorite part of your season – and your children’s too!