Advent Thoughts #1 - November 30th

My blog post from December 16, 2013 highlighted an embarrassment at a women’s Christmas event in Arizona at which I spoke. I had dropped baby Jesus. I bungled the message. One little instant from which I struggled to recover, however, became a Christmas message to my heart (and became a story to share at another women’s Christmas event – thank you, Lord, for your redemption!): I truly don’t want to drop baby Jesus at Christmas-time. No, not ever again! Obviously, since I’m still reflecting on this incident, it had a lasting impact on me…

It’s easy to do, you know. To drop baby Jesus, in the midst of my preparation for one of the holiest of seasons, is not uncommon. Sometimes, I get too wrapped up in wrapping up the trimmings, and the packages, and the cooking, that He simply gets dropped (period). I hope that’s not true of you.

Today, Sunday, November 30, 2014, is the beginning of Advent. Celebrating Advent is optional. It’s simply a tradition that developed over the course of the church’s history as a season to prepare for the coming (which is what the Latin word, adventus, means: the coming). I’m opting to celebrate Advent this season, not with a calendar-watching activity, but with a soul-searching, hopeful-expectation of “hanging onto Jesus” until the day-of-His-birth-kind-of-celebration. This will be my attempt at not dropping Him this year.

To do that, I’ll mark each day forward, with something to ponder on this blog site (#adventthoughts). It might just be a quote. Perhaps a Scripture. Maybe a comment or two. Possibly a picture. It could even be the words to a Christmas song upon which I’m reflecting. However, if you want to join me on this adventure into the Advent season, please come. The invitation is an open one. It’s an invitation to not drop baby Jesus this Christmas season.

This is the baby Jesus, I dropped, tucked safely into His manger.  Oh may I adore Him this season, just the way His mother was in awe and pondered everything about Him!