Your New Year Starts Now
This is your chance to breathe deep for the next 4 weeks.
On the Church calendar, the season of Advent marks the beginning of a new year. While the beginning of the Gregorian calendar is characterized by resolve and goal setting and ambition, the Christian new year offers us a season of quiet longing and an opportunity to fix our gaze once again on Jesus.
I don’t know about you, but I really need that rest right about now.
While the world bustles around us, chasing the best deals, and squeezing the last bit of productivity out of the year, and trying to impress coworkers and that one cousin you see once a year, the rhythms of our faith invite us to slow down, to sit in the soft light of a not-yet-decorated Christmas tree, and just wait.
The beauty of Advent is this: if you are feeling weary, weak in your faith, maybe even doubting or depressed, our good Father has made room for you.
For 3,600 years after God promised to send a seed of the woman to grind the serpent’s head into the ground, God’s people waited with mere glimmers of its fulfillment. And after being promised a “sun of righteousness” with “healing in its wings” (Mal. 4:2) God’s people endured 400 years of ear-splitting silence before Jesus Christ was born, the son of David, the son of Abraham, the son of God.
God is with us in our waiting, in our weariness. He does not feel the need to fill the awkward silence, for He knows He is right on time. He knows goodness grows in the dark, wisdom reveals itself in stillness.
So, I invite you to mark the beginning of your year now, with Advent. I’ve invited three guest writers to our table here at Beautiful Discipleship to wrestle with some words in the waiting. Together we’ll cover the traditional themes of Advent each Sunday from now until Christmas: hope, peace, joy, and love.
Hope:
Peace:
Joy:
Love: Tabitha McDuffee
In the meantime, here are a few ways my little family and I are using this season of Advent to slow down and reset in a form of discipleship far more beautiful than the frantic pace of our world’s Decembers.
The last Christmas gifts have already been bought. We’ll aim to spend our December enjoying experiences and time together rather than endless consumption.
Starting December 1st we’ll trace the grand story of Scripture from Genesis to the birth of Jesus. But don’t picture us sitting cross-legged in matching pajamas around the Christmas tree. This will likely happen while at least one toddler boy bounces on a bed or runs screeching through the house. The name of Jesus is powerful, though, and we trust it can transform even bouncing boys whose listening muscles are still being trained.
We’ll get our hands dirty. Rolling out cookie dough, licking chocolate off of dimpled fingers, clearing dust off boxes of Christmas decorations, gluing tiny pieces to homemade ornaments. We’ll focus on anticipating Jesus’s birth, not just with our heads and our hearts, but with our bodies too.
How will you be slowing down this December? What are your favorite Advent traditions? Hit reply or share in the comments.
In pursuit of Beauty,
Thank you for focusing on Advent and renewal. I speak from time to time with small women's groups. In the same spirit of rest and wonder this year, I wish to bless others with the same idea. I felt the warmth of hope in your letter. You are appreciated...
Close your eyes in hope and wonder. Think about the stars and the depth of the sky. Aren’t you curious? I'm curious about who this child is who helped to place these stars. This child whose existence has the power to reunite mankind with the God of Glory, our creator, the maker of all things. Reuniting with Him is our great hope. The child, Jesus makes this possible, and His Holy Spirit walks with us today to provide comfort along the journey. May you find peace in reflecting on Him in this time of waiting. Amen.
This is a beautiful invitation and I love how your family is making Advent together. Getting gift-buying out of the way sounds really appealing to me!