Day 1: Rediscovering Advent

From "25 Days, 26 Ways to Make This Your Best Christmas Ever" by Ace Collins:

"Let’s take a look at why the meaning of Advent has been lost for so many. Before 1940 the retail holiday season was relatively short. Many people didn’t even think about Christmas
until around December 20. A great deal of the shopping and almost all the decorating were done on Christmas Eve. What transformed this time-honored week of Christmas into a full six-week holiday experience was World War II. With millions of Americans fighting the war in foreign lands that lay beyond two oceans, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked folks to shop and mail their gifts early. To ensure that loved ones overseas received their packages by Christmas, these parcels were to be given to mailmen no later than the first week in December. Thus, in 1942 the Christmas rush began before Thanksgiving. Four years later, after the war ended, the mold was cast. Christmas had grown into more than a month of sales, songs, and entertainment."

He says to consider three things about the season of Advent:

1.) Reflect on what it means for God to come to earth in human form as a baby. Remember what it means for God to love us so much that he placed himself in a body like ours.

2.) Consider how accepting Jesus as Savior changed your very existence. Think about the power and influence of Jesus' life in yours.

3.) Know that Jesus is coming back. "That’s why it’s important to consider what Jesus would think if he spent some time with you during this holiday season. Would he see your excitement
in the way you greet others? As he observes you preparing for the special day, would he recognize your faith in the way you reach out to others? Would he see you living out his commandants to reach out to the least of these?"

Over the next 25 days, I will use the part devotional/part practical tip words of this book to enhance the spiritual aspects of Christmas in my life and hopefully in the lives of those around me.

Tip for the day: "The gospel of Luke has twenty-four chapters. Read one chapter a day during December, using this book as a biblical Advent calendar that puts your focus on the birth, life, and promise of Christ."

Blessings,
Mary