The Old Advent Wreath

It is time for Advent.

And, this year it is time for a new Advent Wreath for our family.

          Gathering around the Advent wreath each evening in those four weeks before Christmas is a long-standing tradition in our home. One of my favorite Advent devotion memories—and there are many—is the year my foster toddler, Michael, blew out the candles every time our twelve-year-old Melinda lit them.

But, time marches on, life brings change, and we need something new.

Advent is an exciting time of year. Especially for those of us who are followers of Jesus the Christ. Advent is a most precious, powerful, poignant, understated, and underrated time of year; a season overflowing with expectation, exhilaration, and anticipation.

Advent is a time to ponder.

A time to begin anew.

A time to worship.

A time to return to the animal stable, that dirty, smelly, cave where the King of kings became man and lived among us.

          We’ve used the same Advent wreath for about eighteen years. 

2008

 
It was love-first-sight for me at some now forgotten garage sale when my life was in one of its disarrays. The dirty-white, rusty metal frame held a ray of hope for me. And maybe some magic.

          Sure enough, I transformed it into a thing of rustic, home-made beauty and with miscellaneous minor changes through the years, it has enjoyed the honor of being the first “decoration” set out each Christmas.    Sometimes I could find new pink and purple candles and sometimes we used “stumps” of last-year’s left-overs. Even during the years the wreath did not get new candles, or new evergreens, or even dusted, it glowed each night and encouraged us to make time each evening to remember the Reason and to hope and to rediscover our joy.

The basic metal wreath we've used for so many years is still okay, but this year it will stay on the closet shelf and be replaced with a completely different Advent Wreath.

The new wreath will be created new from old things.

My fancy-smancy on-line dictionary defines new as: previously unfamiliar.

Ah Ha !!!

Have you had one of those “ah ha” moments recently? This year’s Advent wreath was my AH HA !!!

Yes, many things will be different and new for us this Christmas. Yet, we are the same old souls.

As we light the candles in our repurposed Advent wreath we will give thanks that Jesus Christ IS the same yesterday, today, tomorrow.

He was the same for Moses, Abraham, and David as He is for me. He is the same for Sally, Carolyn, Pam, and for my daughter as He was for Job, John the Baptist, Paul, and the Wesley boys.

Advent is about expecting Jesus and welcoming Him and living in relationship with Him.

Advent is that happy, expectant, glorious time….. that leads to the Cross.

But, the good news is that Jesus the Christ goes before us, has our backs, and holds our hands all the way.

Check in to see how my new / old Advent wreath develops.

John 1:1-2, 14 MSG: The Word was first, the Word present to God, God present to the Word. The Word was God, in readiness for God from day one. The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish. 

2010

                   Blessings,

                 Liz

Shepherd Sunday

Tomorrow, the 4th Sunday in Advent, is sometimes known as Shepherd Sunday.
I'm praying diligently that my shepherd heart will be open to those who need help, encouragement, time, and guidance and that I won't be afraid to go where my Holy Father leads. I'm also praying that I will allow my Shepherd to protect my heart and thoughts and time and energy. Sometimes keeping up with a flock of sheep--even if it is only a few--can be difficult.
During the wind up to Christmas, it is easy to remember that part of shepherding is listening. Let's listen closely. We might even hear angels singing!

Holy Father, bless our earthly spiritual shepherds and help us to grow up and become the shepherds you call us to be.

Blessings through this last week of Advent. Welcome the Lord Jesus with joy!

~~Liz~~

Where IS Christmas ??

Tis the Season.

To shop.

To spend.

To travel.

To forget our lives of quiet desperation.

Mr. Thoreau searched diligently for hope, yet it is said he believed that most men go to the grave without ever finding their song.

But, even old, worn-out Santa Claus brought hope and fun to a war-ravaged world in the 1940’s. Our family had almost NO “purchased-in-a-store” presents, but the junk bicycle Daddy found and restored for my 10th Christmas was better than gold to me. Mother always told us that “Santa Claus is the spirit of Christmas and love.” Hummm. Sounds okay to me!

Regardless of serpents and lies and a fallen world, I happen to know that HOPE lives.

Hope. And Love. Forgiveness. Absolute completeness. Our Song of songs is alive and well today.

Because on that holy and glorious morning of mornings, Jesus Christ gave HOPE and LIFE to a lost and hopeless world when He became man and lived among us.

                                 

AND, without CHRISTmas and the birth of the Son of Man, there would be no Easter morning.

I am tired this year…physically. It’s been a difficult year. Not bad, just difficult. Yet, because the Messiah came, we MUST celebrate.

Christmas is in my heart.

Christmas is on our hill.

Christmas is on this blog.

      So far as I can tell, Truth has not been totally eradicated and most churches continue to remember the birth of the Savior in special events and celebrations and children’s pageants and Advent candles during December each year. We, as God’s wayward children will continue to shout Alleluias and Hosanna in the Highest and Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD.

      For a few days during December, these pages will also shout the news that Jesus Christ was born in a stable. For a few days, we will prepare our hearts anew to welcome the birth of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. We will pray for each other and for our communities and for our nation. We will seek God’s face and we will BE love to each other. We will be a witness for the King.

Please join me for a few minutes during this hectic and sometimes hopeless season –

To find a quiet place in our hearts

To worship our high and Holy Father

To renew our joy

To prepare ONCE AGAIN, to welcome His Advent

To celebrate HOPE.

   Merry Christmas,

       Liz