Advent beginnings

Origin: 1125–75; adventus arrival, approach

I like to look up words in the dictionary and see where they originated from. The kids and I have studied a tiny (and I mean tiny) amount of Latin, so its always interesting to see where words come from.

Also from the dictionary-the coming of Christ into the world.


Does anyone else thing all of the crazy, material,spend-spend-spend, Hoo-HAA of the Christmas season is ridiculous? My sons comment to me every night amid the commercials telling us to "spend,spend,spend" while also "save,save,save" and the night news reports of consumer spending and rumbles of a recession, that "this Christmas business has gotten way out of hand." I think I have raised the most anti-materialistic boys on the planet. Relatives are pestering them for what they want for Christmas.

"I don't need anything, Mom. How do I tell them that?"
and
"Why do we have to buy stuff just because its Christmas? That's not why Jesus was born."

Advent arrives.

All of the pictures on blogs of purple candles and Advent wreaths take me back to an Advent season about 10 years ago. My boys were little, 4,6 and 8. We were so broke. A friend and I wanted Advent wreaths so we went shopping and were able to split the supply's needed to make our family's advent wreaths. I wanted a Nativity set, but could not afford one. I bought a box of Sculpey clay and made us one. I still have it and put it out every year at Christmas time.

Being poor is not fun. However, looking back on those lean years, I can see the lessons we all learned in them, the Grace that God provided in not only meeting our material needs (always just enough, never more. Manna is always provided enough for one day at a time, day after day after day.) but even more importantly our spiritual needs as well.

Those darling little boys who were so thrilled with a homemade Sculpey Nativity scene and just 3 presents a piece (Thats how many presents baby Jesus got on his birthday, is how we explained it to our boys. It was always "Something you want, something you need and something to read.") have grown-up into young men who scoff at $50 name-brand sweatshirts.

Today, after I pick up my oldest son from his job working Retail and treating him to a Starbucks for all the hard work he is doing for not a lot of $, I will clean up the house, start a pot of soup, and drag out all the Christmas decorations. I might even post pictures up tonight or tomorrow when I'm all done.


the coming of Christ into the world.

I will look for You, Lord, this Advent. I will watch for You to appear even in the midst of all of the hustle and bustle, the crowds and the craziness. I will do my best in helping Your kingdom to come here on earth, through patience in having to stand in line, by a smile and a kind word to that harassed, overworked cashier at the store and in those hundreds of small ways, little opportunities that arrive every day, Christmas time or not.