How are you entering this Advent season? Maybe you decorated your Christmas tree before Halloween was even over, or maybe you are already wishing the 'most magical time of the year' could end. Maybe you find yourself somewhere in between. Thankfully, Advent is about so much more than all the traditions and events of Christmas.

Advent is a time of "expectant waiting and preparation". It is a time to anticipate the journey to Jesus' birth, and also that He will someday come back. As we begin Advent, I challenge you to make this your goal - to anticipate the presence of Jesus coming into your life as never before. Now, in this season, as we journey toward Christmas.

Read Matthew 2:1-10 today. The magi, or "wise men", were some of the only characters in the nativity story that purposefully set out on a journey to find Jesus. How does their story inspire you to be journeying toward Jesus this Advent season?

Hundreds of years before Jesus came to earth, his birth was foretold by prophets, meaning that God sent messengers to let people know a Savior was coming. By the time Jesus was born, God's people had been waiting a LONG time. So long, in fact, that many had stopped looking for their Savior. It had been over 400 years since God had sent a message about the coming Messiah.

Have you ever received something that you waited an incredibly long time for, longer than you would have ever chosen to wait? There's a greater joy in receiving something long anticipated than something easily given. Part of the reason to journey to fully anticipate Jesus coming at Christmas is to fully experience all that He gives!

As you read Isaiah 11:10 and Romans 15:12-13, you will read of a promise fulfilled. May you overflow with HOPE!

Bethlehem is famous for being the place Jesus was born. Truth be told, it wouldn't be famous for anything else! It was a small and insignificant city prior to hosting the birth of the Savior, as was told in Micah 5:2. God chose to work through a small and insignificant place to bring about the greatest miracle the world has ever seen!

Doesn't this seem to be a common theme with God? He often chooses to work through people or places or things that don't seem like the would be someone's first choice (think of David being chosen to fight Goliath!) Allow this knowledge to fill you with hope and anticipation of what God longs to do through you. What miracle might he perform in your life or in your ordinary circumstance this Advent season?

A popular Christmas hymn says:

"Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

Born to set Thy people free

From our fears and sin release us

Let us find our rest in thee

Come our long expected King"

The great news of the gospel is that Jesus came to set every person FREE! Jesus came as a sacrifice, a bridge between unholy people and a holy God. Romans 6:22-23 talks about this. Through Jesus, we can be set free from our unholy selves and made clean. And the gift that God gives is eternal life!

What does freedom feel like? Do you feel that there's anything from which you need to be set free? Trust Jesus to set you free this Advent season and receive the greatest gift you could ever receive - eternal life with Jesus!

Before Jesus was born, a messenger named John was sent to prepare the way for him. John was born to Zechariah and Elizabeth after MANY years of prayer and waiting for a baby.

When Mary visits Elizabeth, scripture says that John leapt in Elizabeth's womb, and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth makes an important statement: Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!

For Elizabeth and Mary, they and the people of their time had waited for a Messiah for hundreds of years. Elizabeth had prayed and begged and waited for a baby for decades! Elizabeth recognizes God's faithfulness in fulfilling these promises. What promises are you waiting on God to fulfill? Be open about bringing these before God, even if you have been asking for many years! And when God is faithful and answers the promise, celebrate his faithfulness with those around you!

Some of the most difficult decisions I've made in my life have been choosing names for each of my children before they were born. These weren't hard in the sense of being sad, or gut-wrenching, life-changing decisions, but there was a certain weight I felt in picking my children's names for their entire lives. A person's name often seems to be intertwined with his/her identity, and this, to me, gave added importance.

Isaiah 7:14 is a famous part of the Christmas Story, foretelling a very surprising fact - the Savior will be born of a virgin! But an important part of this prophesy that might be somewhat overlooked is the baby name given at the end of the verse: "and will call him Immanuel."

Immanuel means "God with us". And so through this prophecy, we find a really big truth - God himself, in the form of a baby, is coming to Earth, in order to be truly with us. Can you imagine what would make the Creator of the universe decide to come down and live within human limitations just to be with us, the people He created? That's a pretty incredible act of love!

Have you ever been in a place where suddenly things aren't going exactly as planned? A few years ago, my family and I were on a road trip, headed toward the beach. About halfway through the trip, while driving down a somewhat isolated interstate, something happened. Every light on the dashboard of the car came on, and suddenly the car seemed to lose power. Everything happened quickly, and before we knew it, we were broken down on the side of the interstate. Although we eventually made it to our destination, the trip definitely didn't go as planned.

In Luke 1, an angel from heaven is sent to speak to a girl named Mary. Mary was a young teenager at the time, and engaged to be married. You can imagine that she had many plans and preparations she was part of as she prepared for her future life. Suddenly, as the angel appears to Mary, everything changes. Though she is a virgin, she is told she is soon to be pregnant with the Messiah that has been anticipated for hundreds and hundreds of years. Can you imagine the thoughts that could be running through her mind as she listened to Gabriel's message? "Surely, God, you have the wrong person. There's no way you have chosen me for this purpose. Also, I have A LOT going on in life right now! This is not at all what I have planned."

Many of us can identity with that sense of life being completely interrupted, a massive change in plans that come when least expected. Though sometimes these interruptions can come as minor annoyances, like a delay on a road trip, sometimes they can be much bigger and filled with incredible purpose. Mary's life certainly took a much different turn than she anticipated, and the result was that she played a central part in God's redemption plan for all of humankind! As you face life's interruptions, how can you seek God's voice and purpose through your circumstance?

The first Bible verse I remember knowing as a child is John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." I was so thankful to be taught as a child of God's love for me. Over time, I think I might have become somewhat immune to the incredible significance of this verse.

When I became a parent, I began to see this verse differently. My world began to revolve around my firstborn son, my one and only son. And I knew then that I absolutely could not comprehend the love that God has for all people. God willingly sent his Son as a sacrifice into the world for the sole purpose of saving every person, because of His all-encompassing, unimaginably BIG love for us!

The nativity and birth narrative of Jesus is a special story, a precious moment in time that is specifically celebrated and remembered during the Advent season. But it's also SO much more. It's the earthly beginning of an incredible rescue mission, where God enacted a plan to redeem his people! God still offers that redemption and salvation today to every single person. How can this truth impact you in this Advent and Christmas season?

This phrase "Do Not Be Afraid" is all over the story of the first Christmas! Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds in a field - all are told the same phrase by an angel: "Do not be afraid". Why was this such an important part of the angel's message from God?

The birth of Jesus was a big deal. It's not insignificant. It's a huge, life-changing, radical event that changes the course of history, and it drastically changes the life of each of the people hearing this message: "Do Not Be Afraid."

Clearly, God understands His plan to save the world does not make sense to human reason. He understands it is completely overwhelming. And through the voice of the angel, God reminds Joseph to trust Him. Just as God might say to me or you: 'Don't be afraid. Continue with this next step I am calling you to. And even if it seems completely overwhelming, I've got this. I've got you. And I am absolutely working in and through your life.'

Where is God nudging you, or maybe loudly telling you, to trust Him? Pray for the faith to trust Him more.

For hundreds of years, and generation after generation, God's people waited for him to send a Messiah. They envisioned a might leader, a warrior, a ruler that would set everything in the world right by their own standard. The people did not know who the Messiah would be, and they were a little off target in what they expected. But messengers from God - prophets - over the years gave people a glimpse of what was to come.

In Isaiah 9:6, several names are used to describe the coming Messiah - Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Doesn't peace seem to be something that's desperately longed for, and so hard to find? In our culture today, we often experience the opposite of peace, particularly during the Advent season. We add extra commitments and expectations to our schedules, and the stress of keeping up with those around us is at an all time high during gift-giving season.

Jesus promises to be the source of peace. He is over all of the stress and anxiety in our lives, and He stands as the Prince of Peace. Will you seek Him today? Ask Him to bring more peace to your life. By simply asking and taking a few minutes to speak to Him, you can experience some of the in invaluable peace He came to give us!

In the Christmas season, there are many wonderful things to experience and enjoy - family traditions, once a year experiences, Christmas lights, and Santa visits. But for some reason, the troubles that weigh on our minds sometimes seem particularly heavy during the Christmas season. Grief seems magnified, as some are missing people that are no longer here for family traditions or those special Christmas experiences. Loneliness and depression seem to be even more overwhelming and all encompassing, and the financial stress of the season can cause a great deal of anxiety.

Jesus reminds us in John 16:33 that though we will have trouble in this world, He has overcome the world! The purpose in Jesus entering the world on that first Christmas was to be our Savior and our Redeemer, and to make a way for us to come to Him. Peace can be found in as we "take heart" in knowing that Jesus is bigger than all of the troubles we face. As we journey through this Advent season and anticipate Jesus' coming, we can do so knowing that Jesus brings us the peace of knowing he has already overcome this world. The light of Jesus that is coming is brighter than the darkness we face. And so in Him, we hope and have PEACE this season, no matter what we face.

Have you ever prayed and asked God for something, and then maybe the answer comes in a way different than you would have chosen? Or has God ever provided an answer and you are thinking, "Okay, God, that's NEVER going to work!"

Mary finds herself in such a situation in the birth narrative of Christ. When approached by an angel and told that she will carry the Messiah who has been anticipated for generation upon generation, she's not sure at first. "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" This plan seems to make zero sense, but the angel goes on to explain - This child will not be from a man, but placed in Mary by the Holy Spirit. And so the baby will be fully human, born from Mary, and fully God. And this important fact about this coming baby is what fulfills all the hopes and dreams and prophecies Mary's people have longed for.

Mary answered the angel, "I am the Lord's servant. May your word to me be fulfilled". This doesn't mean that Mary could see how the whole event was going to play out. She may have still thought it didn't make any sense. But she had peace in her trust in God, and faith to take the next step forward based on His word to her. Where can you take a next step forward in faith, even if it doesn't seem to make sense yet? Ask God to give you the courage and the peace to take that step.

Before Jesus was born, the people of God had been waiting a long time for a Messiah. It's not like they had been waiting for traffic to clear, or waiting to the end of the month for the next paycheck to come. They were REALLY waiting, for generation after generation after generation, and hoping and wishing and longing for a Savior to deliver them.

Waiting on a coming promise to be fulfilled encapsulates the entire purpose of the Advent season. Often, in the church, "Advent" and "Christmas" are mixed up, or used interchangeably. Though Advent involves many spiritual practices of the Christmas season, Advent is really all about the anticipation of the coming of Christ. It involves a journey of waiting and longing for a promise to be fulfilled. It could be related to traveling through a tunnel, when you know there is light at the end. You keep walking forward to reach the light, even when you can't yet see it. It's dark without any light, and yet the promise of light keeps you pressing forward, anxious to receive what has been promised at the end of the journey.

As you travel through this Advent season, don't consider yourself short-changed if you feel that you haven't yet grasped the Joy, the fulfillment, the excitement of Christmas. We're not quite there yet. But the days are coming when the promise will be fulfilled!

It's pretty incredible to wonder what Jesus might have been like as a baby. Babies can't do much. They pretty much cry, eat, and make dirty diapers. As a newborn, there's no level of independence; a newborn baby is entirely dependent on the people taking care of him or her for survival.

It's amazing that Jesus chose to come in this way. He was completely dependent on those around him. Can you imagine? He is the God who actually created all the heaven and earth and everything in it. He humbled himself to become a newborn baby on the earth He created, with no ability to do anything for himself.

There's something welcoming about the tenderness and of a baby. There's something inviting about the tiny fingers and toes, something that draws people in. And I can only imagine that had something to do with why Jesus chose to come as a baby. His number one mission: To draw people to Himself and share His love for us!

All of that power wrapped up in one tiny baby - what an incredible demonstration of God's love for His people!

Sometimes we forget how connected Christmas and Easter are. They seem to be very opposite stories, at the beginning and the end of Jesus' earthly life. Yet we also know that the reason Jesus came to be born into the world was ultimately to die to save all people through his Resurrection!

The season of Advent is one of expectancy, not only of the coming of Christmas, but also that Jesus will one day come back for his people.

Throughout this Christmas season, I've been beside many people who are grieving the unfathomable loss of a loved one. And somehow, this grief seems even deeper in this season, in stark contrast to the "Joy" of the Christmas festivities. But those who are in Christ have ultimate hope in this: One day, death will be no more. Jesus has defeated death!! And though it is terribly painful for us to be separated from those we love at this time, Jesus has a promise! One day, we will see those who are in Christ again! What an incredible reunion that will be.

Day 16 - Making Room

When I was little, I was involved in church plays about the story of Jesus' birth. I always remember "No room in the inn!" being a very dramatic part of each Christmas play. The gospel of Luke tells us that Jesus was born in a manger, because there was no room in the inn. The assumption is that the entire city of Bethlehem was SO busy, it missed a potential opportunity to host the birth of the Son of God. Ouch.

I say "ouch" becauseI totally get that. One of the "Joy Killers" that Pastor Andy talked about on Sunday is being constantly busy. Doesn't that resonate with you? It does with me, and particularly in this Christmas season. I have said many times: "I would love to experience the joy of Christmas this season, and truly experience the real reason for the season. But I'm just. so. busy."

How can we make room to experience Christ this Advent season? Where can we set boundaries to experience God's presence in this time, even amidst extra responsibilities and events? Setting aside time to read scripture and an Advent devotion like this is a great place to start! Be praying that God would show you how to find margin in these last 10 days before Christmas to experience Him fully.