The Season of Advent

If you read the title and thought..."Uh, he's a bit off." You might be correct, however I do have a point and no, it's not 2 months late. I would like to think that I'm 10 months early. I am a HUGE Christmas fan. I love watching my kids open and be excited about new things.  I love watching family members receive gifts that might not have any monetary value but are priceless in their eyes.  While I do enjoy receiving gifts, this year I wanted one thing. Snow. And on Christmas, I got my gift.  All in all it was a good Christmas.

Christmas is about the birth of a baby.  A baby that will change the world and a ultimately save us from the evil that is around us.  But babies don't just "happen" there is a quite a bit of waiting, planning, longing, wondering, and hoping. We jump into Mary's story and rush through her pregnancy. She receives word that she will be with child, goes to see Elizabeth, comes home and BOOM. Merry Christmas. While that might fit in the storyline of the Gospels (Jesus' birth isn't the main point of the story) it doesn't fit with my understanding of pregnancy. 

The "Season of Advent" points us toward Bethlehem but there is waiting and anticipation for what is to come.  Would it mean something different to us if we waited longer?  What if we walked through the pregnancy with Mary.  Ladies, you will be able to do this much easier than myself, but I remember my wife's pregnancy with our two children.  It was fun to sit and dream what the child might become but there were MANY uncomfortable nights, foot rubs, tears, clothing issues...the list is long.  This is a part of pregnancy too.  Have we forgotten that Mary's feet swelled, that she wanted Pepsi when she has been a life long Coke girl, that she had cravings for pickles and watermelon at 3am? I believe that Mary was excited and no doubt scared to have this child but the wait, I can imagine, seemed never to end.

In the weeks to come I'm going to wait with Mary. Anticipating the arrival of a child that God promised but suffering through the pregnancy knowing that it will be worth it.  While the birth of Jesus has already happened I am awaiting a second Advent.  The time when the risen Savior will come back and all will be made new.  Will you wait and eagerly hope with me?

Longing for Heaven

It's been a while and while I hope to post more frequently this year, I will not promise anything. I have been reading a lot lately and I came across this post from John Mark Hicks. I thought it was interesting. Enjoy.

http://johnmarkhicks.com/2012/01/27/heaven-on-earth-a-stone-campbell-tradition/