Advent: The Waiting Begins, Again.

Dear Friends and Family,

Today marks the beginning of Advent. This is a period in the western Church calendar where we wait. Like a child with our chocolate Advent calendars we wait, counting the days as they go by, for Christmas day. Hopefully we wait for more than presents. Instead we wait for the ultimate gift, for Christ. You see, from the time of Genesis 3 where Eve is promised that one her descendants will crush the serpent’s head, that serpent that tempted her to eat of the tree and offer it to her husband, the world has waited for the one who would conquer the tempter, would conquer sin, would conquer death. Christ is that conqueror. Even more, along with the Holy Spirit, he is our redeemer, our sanctifier, our deifier. We are conformed to his image by the Holy Spirit. The world waited and Christ came. We remember that waiting.

In Advent we do more than remember the waiting the world has already done. We also wait. We wait for Christ’s return. We live now, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, being ever transformed, working with the Spirit for our salvation, our transformation, but it is not enough. Christ must return. Resurrection and judgment must take place. All things must return and God must be all-in-all.

I leave you with two things: a prayer and a short video. Please enjoy and make use of both. Christ we are waiting, find us faithful.