December can be a pretty hectic month! The calendar can get pretty full with Christmas programs, parties and family gatherings. Our to do list can get pretty long with decorating our homes, sending Christmas cards, shopping for gifts, baking cookies and cleaning our houses for guests. Our schedules can get pretty tight leaving little time for enjoying our families, resting our worn bodies or reflecting on the actual miracle of Christmas itself. We must remember the reason we celebrate.
Today is the first day of the Advent season, a time to remember when God’s people were awaiting the birth of the Messiah who would save us from our sins. Advent is also a time for us to anticipate Jesus’ second coming when He will return to take us home.
Today we light the first Advent candle which is the “Prophecy Candle” or “Candle of Hope.” This candle reminds us of both the fulfilled prophecy of Jesus’ birth and the prophecy of his second coming, for which we continue to wait and hope for. The candle’s purple color represents Christ’s royalty as the King of Kings.
My prayer for each of you is that during the hustle and bustle of the season, you will keep your focus on Jesus. I pray that you will reflect on Him, be aware of His presence, become overwhelmed by His love, grow closer to Him and experience His peace and hope. As you excitedly prepare to celebrate His birth, I pray that you will also anxiously anticipate the day that He will return again to take us home.
Don’t let yourself get too caught up in thinking you have to stick to every Christmas tradition in effort to make the day special for your family. We can easily miss the beauty of the season when we go overboard in decorating, shopping, gift wrapping, baking, cleaning and involving ourselves in every single program and party that pops up.
Keep things simple, reflect on Jesus, the Greatest Gift of all. Remember how He left the comforts of heaven to be born in a stable. Be thankful that He lived a sinless life and took the punishment for our sins by dying on the cross in our place. Focus on His love, goodness, mercy and grace. Share the Good News with others. Anxiously wait for His return.
Throughout the Advent season, may your life be full because your focus is on Jesus and all that He is, yet simple because He is all you need. We must remember that He is the reason.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him” (John 3:16-17).