Advent: Wake from your Sleep

"Do this because we live in an important time. It is now the time for you to wake from your sleep, 

because salvation is nearer now than when we first believed."

Romans 13:11

Today begins the Advent season, and growing up, that meant Sundays of lighting candles, a calendar with chocolate, and making Christmas ornaments in pre-school. But what does the Advent season really mean, and how can we take advantage of it to develop in our paths to salvation? Is it just a means to an end (Christmas), or is the journey as important as the final lesson, like so many things in life?

My minister, Dr. Conrad Sharps of Independent Presbyterian Church, recently wrote something in our church newsletter that really resonated on this topic:

"Advent is a reminder to us that we are children of God and that Christ will one day return. It is a reminder to us that salvation is from God and from God alone. It is sin that is an intruder into our lives and into our world. An intruder which is hostile torward every good thing which God intends for his children. 

"This season is a time when all people of faith are called to a time of repentance and preparation, for Christ is coming into the world! We don't know when, but it shouldn't matter. That God should be born to us in a manger, live for us, die for us, rise from the dead for us says to me, it doesn't matter when he's coming, but that he's coming that matters."

Advent is part of Christmas, not just something your church might recognize before the Big Day. It shouldn't be dismissed as part of the holiday any more than our experiences can be ignored as part of who we each are.

As you are working on your final papers, studying for exams, buying presents for your family and friends, take a moment to think about the journey that has brought you here. What did you learn about yourself and the way you learn this semester that can be carried forth into your future work and relationships?