I’m not sure if it is a product of age or just my natural neurosis, but I find myself getting more and more forgetful. I could share countless examples of this growing reality. First, it is a regular occurrence that I walk into a room of the house with fervor, obviously on a mission, and arrive in that room to find myself standing there wondering why it was that I needed to go into that room.
Second, of many, would be the moments that I call someone (by the way, I hate to talk on the phone) and I hear a familiar voice answer which finds me having no earthly idea why I would have called that individual. Surely you have experienced this as well… depending on the person, I will either have to engage in a little improv or I will have to let them know that I have no idea why I just made the phone call.
What does Advent mean to you?
This is a reality in my spiritual life as well. Where I am not intentional, I am without purpose and neglectful. Even the practices and ideas which are most important to me will be forgotten as the chaos of life becomes the daily rhythm of normality.
I have never been engaged in a church that celebrated the season of Advent before Crossings Community Church. Further, I had never celebrated it personally before we began at Crossings Community. Like many others, I had this idea that Advent was something that the Catholic Church or Episcopal Church celebrated but something which had no value for me.
This is the third year that we have intentionally celebrated the season of Advent at Crossings Community Church. Advent is a season in which we intentionally take time to celebrate the coming of Jesus in Bethlehem, anticipate His return in glory, and the surety of His promises throughout His Word.
I have really learned to love and cherish the Advent season. My rhythm of life had consisted of a season to dwell on the birth of Jesus but not His imminent return. The celebration of Advent has invited a much needed balance each year. This has been a great boost to my journey in a relationship with Jesus. Through establishing the rhythm of Advent I have found a renewed focus on the joy of repentance. I have also found purpose in waiting. It has also sparked an increased passion in my life of worship as I respond in greater ways to He who was, who is, and is to come.
What does Advent mean to you? Maybe for you it is just something you have heard about that others celebrate this time of year… or maybe it is a little calendar upon which you open a door each day… or maybe it is becoming something different.
What does Advent mean to you?
Matt Powell serves as teaching pastor at Crossings Community Church, a body of believers whose mission is to engage, equip, and empower homes for gospel transformation in Katy, TX.