Riélle Heine

 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.Luke 2:10-11

Today it is a month before Christmas.

Everywhere in the media, we are reminded that time to get our Christmas shopping done is running low. Displays in shop windows are all trying to be better and brighter than the one next door in the race to get our attention. In our diaries are long lists of the things we need to do before the Christmas holiday arrives.

We, as Christians, are preparing for Advent. Advent comes from the Latin word "adventus" which means a meeting or an arrival, and refers to the birth of Jesus Christ. The purpose of the four Advent weeks, and specifically the four Advent Sundays before Christmas, is to prepare our minds and hearts to commemorate the birth of Christ. This preparation has entirely a different emphasis than the one blared by the media and shopping malls. It is a time of quiet and reflection; a time to put our thoughts in order about the meaning of the coming of the Messiah; a time of fellowship with other believers to marvel at the extent of Christ’s love.

Let's try, in the midst of all this turmoil, to set aside time to be calm and prepare our hearts for Christmas. Otherwise it will just be like all the other years – a mad rush until we finally sit down to recover, exhausted, at the Christmas meal. Let’s create family time in our homes, a time to relax and take stock, and time of new focus and meaningful conversation. A time where the emphasis is on Christ's sacrifice of love, and a time when we focus on showing each other this kind of love.

Prayer: Lord, during this time of Advent, I want to be still and spend time with you. I do not want to be part of the commercialisation of Christmas. I want to make time to praise you. Amen