Dear friends in Christ,
We’re four days into the season of Advent. Maybe you have a brilliant Advent practice and your beautiful Advent wreath is ready to be lighted in the evening. If so, wonderful! But maybe the whole season snuck up on you. After all, Thanksgiving and the heavy advertising of Black Friday can be plenty to focus on.
If so, I’m here to give you some great news. It’s not too late for Advent! In fact, this is one of my favorite teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: it’s never too late.
You don’t need an Instagram-worthy Advent wreath to be a real Christian. You can go without one, or you can grab any four candles or lights or whatever you like. We have a LEGO wreath at our house.
This season is the church’s gift to us all, an invitation to return to the Lord—to prepare our hearts and our minds to greet Jesus whenever we meet him. Sure, Advent is partly about getting ready for our Christmas worship. But it’s also about opening ourselves to be ready to meet Jesus in the sacraments; in the body of Christ, the church; in the scriptures; and in those whom we serve in his name. Of course, we’re also making sure we’re ready should he return in glory. And we’ll all meet him one day, as he will judge both the living and the dead. That’s all of us.
So how to do that, especially if the whole season snuck up on you? Spending a bit more time in prayer in this season can be helpful. If your church offers Advent programs or classes, sign up. Listen to Advent music. Read the scriptures—one way is to read one chapter of Luke’s Gospel each day. That gets you from December 1 to December 24, and you’re only a couple of days “behind.”
If you want some help, Forward Movement brings you AdventWord, a daily word to reflect on. You can receive the reflections in email or on social media. Or you can get an ebook (instant delivery!) of one of our recent Advent devotions:
- Show Me Your Ways, O Lord: Devotions on the Psalms of Advent (Kindle | Apple Books)
- Preparing the Way: Christian Practices for Advent (Kindle | Apple Books)
- Holy Is His Name: Daily Devotions for Advent (Kindle | Apple Books)
Have a blessed Advent, in whatever form the holy season takes for you.
Yours faithfully,
Scott Gunn
Executive Director
More from our ministry:
New this year: Walking In The Light calendar for Epiphany
Our ministry in numbers and stories: 2024 Annual Report
Read through Luke’s Gospel in this 50 Day Bible Challenge