Advent is upon us! This is a great and wondrous season of anticipation and waiting. Fleming Rutledge writes, “Of all the seasons of the church year, Advent most closely mirrors the daily lives of Christians and of the church, asks the most important ethical questions, presents the most accurate picture of the human condition, and above all, orients us to the future of the God who will come again.
Waiting is not something we like, or even something that we are particularly good at. But waiting is the posture of God’s people throughout the story of the Scriptures…God’s people wait for rescue from slavery in Egypt, they wait for a king, they wait for deliverance from exile, they wait for children, they wait for God to keep his promises, and they wait for a Redeemer. We are still waiting for Christ’s second Advent where he will return to set all things right. He will renew our hearts and lives, and He will renew and transform our world and everything in it. The cry of our hearts is always, “Come, Lord Jesus!"
This season of Advent is a great opportunity to stop and listen for God’s voice, to remember and rest in God’s promises to us, to long for the future glory that awaits us in the midst of the disappointment and suffering that we daily experience, and to practice a holy impatience, loving the world around us longing for our hearts and world to mirror the coming kingdom.
Below are a couple of resources for you and for your family to prepare for Christmas by participating in the active waiting we are called to during the season of Advent.
Here are a couple of resources that might help your family if you have young children:
The Light Before Christmas by Marty Machowski
Counting the Days, Lighting the Candles by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson
Here a couple of resources for personal devotion and preparation for advent:
Let Earth Rejoice Her King by Becky Kiern
Come, Let Us Adore Him by Paul Tripp
Love Came Down at Christmas by Sinclair Ferguson
The Advent of the Lamb of God by Russ Ramsey