Advent Season

This week we will discuss Advent. Definition- Advent:  the arrival of a notable person, thing or event.

Advent: Advent is a season of preparation and waiting for the celebration of Jesus birth at Christmas. Christians take part in advent as a way to celebrate the promise of the Savior, both at birth and looking forward to his return.

Thanks to the NUMC Blog in 2016 and from Buckhead Church material below.

Buckhead Station is right beneath our church building, a convenience for our staff team for those meetings and appointments that are up and down the main line. And there’s no greater feeling than rushing through the turnstile and down the stairs to the platform just as the train is pulling in. Timing is that thing that stands between enjoying public transit and being completely frustrated by it. Back in the day before MARTA released their smartphone app, complete with arrival times, delay reports, and station updates, frustration was norm. It was all a guessing game. You never really knew when, or if, the train would show up. It was hard to feel prepared and on top of things.

This was the teaching of John the Baptist in Luke 3, that we must be prepared for God’s arrival. Luke quotes Isaiah, saying, Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. In other words, do not be caught off guard. Live expectantly and with anticipation of God’s coming, of His presence. This is Advent. The season of preparation for the Lord’s arrival and presence in our lives.

• What are the things that bring on stress for you during this holiday season? obligations? gift buying? The family commitments? Finances? And at what point, for you, does the central message of Christmas get muddied up in the busyness of everything?  Do these things/ to-do list keep you from being present?

• What are the top roadblocks (not excuses) that keep you from being more present?
• What are the biggest benefits of being present consistently?
• Who are the people in your life that remind you of God’s presence in your life?
• What can you do today to be just a little more present in one person’s life?