“Advent as a season is meant to make the journey toward Christmas full of meaning; it’s meant to put us touch with our deepest longings and greatest hopes; it’s meant to teach us to bring all our desires together on one object: Christ. While “Christmas” as a season (properly) begins on December 25 and goes twelve days (yes, there’s a song about that!) until January 6th, Advent is all about the build-up to it. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and takes us right up to the glorious celebration of the incarnation.” -Glenn Packiam

So, we just passed the first Sunday of Advent.  This first week traditionally, at least so I am reading, is all about the Patriarchs and Old Testament figures from God creating the heavens and the earth, the fall into sin with Adam and Eve, through the lives of Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as the promised is being revealed and God’s great plan of salvation is put into motion.  So much happened to get a Savior to us, those whom God so loves, didn’t it?

So today, I chose a Phillips, Craig and Dean song (Dave loves them), Shine on Us.  It is prayerful, an invitation of all God is to come and just be welcomed in us, on us, around us.  Go sit in the light of your Christmas tree and listen for 4 minutes, and pray it.  Then receive it.

And I read a really wonderful blog by Glen Packiam about what Advent should be:

“Advent ought to be a gift of fresh Spirit-oxygen, not a busy, frenetic, string of shopping trips and meaningless parties.”

You can read the whole post HERE.  It isn’t long, but it does have some great insight into this Advent thing.