Advent Devotionals: Day 1

If you’re like me, there’s probably a whole list of things that need to be done to get ready for Christmas. There’s an entire storage rack in our garage that holds several tubs full of Christmas decorations. Each tub holds 18 gallons which means we have nearly 200 gallons of Christmas coming into our house. Lights go up on the outside of our house, ornaments go on the tree, cookies come out of the oven and go quickly into mouths. My kids have already circled just about every item in the Amazon and Target toy catalogs that arrived in the mail a short time ago. In our busyness of getting ready for Christmas, we can’t forget to ready our hearts. That’s what Advent is all about.

The word “advent” is from the Latin word “adventus” meaning “arrival.” It takes place before Christmas as a time of anticipation and preparation. It’s not meant to just be a time of physical readiness, but spiritual readiness as well. Christmas is a day set aside to celebrate the arrival of our Savior. Advent is a time we can use to intentionally focus on the significance of what took place in a stable in Bethlehem some 2,000 years ago.

As this Advent season begins, remember to take the time to reflect on what Christmas is really about; the arrival of our Savior in this world.

Prayer: Thank You Jesus for the gift of Your life. Help us to have hearts that are focused on You and show us how we can share Your light with others.