A war on Advent does not appear as an outward assault but as an inward omission. Have we focused so much on what language others use for the season that we forget why we actually celebrate? The coming—or Advent—of Christ was long awaited. And the time we live in the brackets between the First and Second Coming cannot be understood in full without the Incarnate Christ being celebrated. My favorite passage of scripture makes the point this season.
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 and 17 (NIV)
PRAYER: May we celebrate this Christmas that you, God the Father, sent your son to pay the penalty and to save us rather than condemn us. May our attitudes toward those who are not in our Christian family of faith be a heart that follows in the steps of your son, Jesus. Those steps advocate for the powerless and poor. Forgive us, Lord. Instead of condemning and judging those around us, let us inspect our own hearts and humbly compare our lives to yours. In that introspection, let us see how forgiven we truly are. In that experience of being loved, let us learn to love. AMEN.
Merry Christmas!
