Advent Study: Awakening Wonder | Experiencing the Nearness of Jesus

Are you looking forward to the Christmas season? The Christmas season can get busy—very busy. Though it’s a season of joy, the pace of life can get overwhelming. Even things we love about the Christmas season, such as time with friends and family or crossing off Christmas lists, can easily become the main focus rather than what the Christmas season is really about. Do you find that during the holiday season, it can be easy to lose sight of Jesus? The weeks leading up to Christmas are typically fast-paced and focused on going and doing. But Advent is about slowing down, waiting, and preparing. We slow down and meditate on the state of the world without Christ and the darkness and sin that Jesus came to remove and destroy. We wait with longing and hope for the celebration and joy that Christmas brings, and we prepare our hearts and our homes for Christ’s arrival—now, through the Holy Spirit, and in the last days when Christ returns.