Matt and I often find ourselves having conversations that
begin with, “When we have kids, let’s do things this way.” This most often involves some form of reading scripture,
or memorizing the psalms, or making sure we put the focus on the right things
during the holidays. It can be very easy to talk about all of these things and
be confident that “when we have kids” we’ll just pick up those habits and show
our best side. However, we all know it doesn’t work that way. We realized that
if we ever plan to pass these things on to our children, we must begin
practicing and participating in such disciplines now, in order that they become
second nature to us.
The thing that has come up most recently, and the one we’re
focusing on for now, is the Christmas season. We ‘ve talked about ways to make
sure we understand the true importance of Christmas, and how we can pass that
on to our family.
So let’s talk about Advent, the time of hopeful anticipation
for the arrival of a savior. Until recently, I never paid any attention to what
Advent was or meant. I just knew it was something that went on around Christmas
time, and that, in our tradition, it isn’t something we talk about. However,
through Matt’s passion and study of liturgy, I became aware of the church
calendar. I started asking Matt question after question, with a real desire to
learn more about how we can use these long-standing traditions to develop
within us a steady rhythm of scripture, prayer, and worship. In many ways,
following the church calendar sets the foundation for that rhythm.
So this year we’re going to do something a little different.
I’m not going to post videos of Christmas songs counting down to Christmas Day
(don’t worry, there will still be a Christmas Day song from Matt and Lauren!).
Instead, we have temporarily renamed this blog Hopeful Expectations: A Journey through Advent. Starting tomorrow,
on the first day of Advent, as Matt and I study together, we’ll share some
thoughts here through the season of Advent. We invite you to join us on this
journey, participating in the weekly readings, prayers, reflections, and study
of Advent as we wait in hopeful expectation for the coming of our Lord.
