Our Eternal Advent (week 1)

While talking to my sister the other day, I randomly said, “I feel like I’m stuck in some kind of eternal Advent.” With frustration, I explained when waiting persists, it can become difficult to keep the faith. However, there is one thing that always keeps me going. Hope. Hope is like a light in the dark and always keeps me moving forward.

As we said our goodbyes, I could not shake this term, “the eternal Advent.” Letting the words resonate in my mind, I noticed my perspective began to change. Advent is all about the “anticipation of.” Why would it be bad to be stuck in an eternal Advent? While embracing this idea of the eternal Advent, suddenly I found myself excited about everything that is about to be.

That is the funny thing about hope. It always leads to something else. As we wait for anything, especially when the waiting lingers, our hope begins to waver. You may even feel lost. But with a small shift in perspective, we can see hope just up ahead.

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer

I love Thanksgiving. The giving of thanks prepares my heart for the coming of our Lord. However, if I rush ahead, I feel like I might miss some precious gifts along the way. So with a grateful attitude, I hold myself back from any urge to hurry on to the next holiday.

But this year feels different. As the outdoor lights and festive decorations came out early, it didn’t bother me. In fact, I was happy to see them and contemplated doing the same. These Christmas lights are our light in the darkness. They are our sign of hope, because we know Christmas is coming!

Hope keeps you moving forward. 

Everyone could use a little extra light in their lives. Lucky for us, we know that “the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”  Light sparks hope and hope leads to all those other gifts I never want to miss. This is the beginning of our eternal Advent.

The word ‘advent’ comes form the Latin root meaning “coming.” However, it can also be defined as “in preparation or anticipation of.” Hang on to your hats, because the definition of eternal is; “lasting or existing forever; without end or beginning.” Isn’t this so God?

Revelation 22:13 NIV reads,

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

God is the only thing that lasts forever. Jesus is our hope and hope moves us forward to all the other gifts God has for us.

As we begin to live from this place of our Eternal Advent, it is important to understand the four themes associated with Advent.

Hope.

Peace.

Love.

Joy.

This week, we focus on hope. Jesus is our hope and we anxiously await his birth at Christmas. We know God has given us this hope. This gift, the greatest gift ever given, gives us all our other gifts. Peace. Love. Joy. As we bask in our Eternal Advent, let’s spend time focusing on all that God has for us. Let’s look forward to the Hope of Christ, lingering over the babe in the manger. Let’s move through Advent at a slower pace, embracing all these precious gifts.

Advent is marked by hope, peace, love and joy. All gifts given to us by God. Hope leads the way to all the other gifts. As we focus on hope, let us understand that just as Jesus is the light of the world, so are we! We carry our light into a world desperate for it, giving hope to all those around.

Let us pray,

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

In Jesus name, Amen. 

P.S. Come back next week as we discover peace, love and joy and how we can continue to live from this place of our Eternal Advent. Leave me a comment because I love hearing from you. Share this message on Facebook and tag me in it. Or forward it to a friend who might need a little encouragement today. -M