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2009-11-05

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Friday, December 05, 2008 11:45 AM

Advent season begs an important question: How prepared are you?

By DR. F. D. BURROWS SR., Ottawa First United Methodist Church

This is the season of Advent, a time of great expectation and meticulous preparation.

It is time that anticipates the coming of Christ afresh into our hearts and our lives.

This is sacred time and should be used to critically reflect and analyze the nature of our faith, the quality of our witness and the intentionality of our actions.

Advent symbolizes the depth of commitment and the intensity of our awareness and love for those who within themselves embody the spirit of God. Therefore, Advent is not a holiday that comes and goes with the passing of time; rather, Advent is a process of growing from one year to the next in the love and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

As we are blessed to experience Advent afresh each year, it should be marked by a noted increase in our spiritual maturity and our Biblical knowledge of God based on a 21st century world.

God gives us Advent as a means of grace and a means of restoration. During this season, we are afforded time to pray, be penitent and work at modifying our behavior to be more like the one who was, is and is to come.

Advent is inclusive of four weeks leading to Christmas Day. Each week builds on the next in excitement and dedication.

During this season, families should strive to come together as a collective sign of God’s communal grace. Friends and loved ones should gather as a sign of the extended family and God’s desire that we unite as one, just as God and Jesus are one.

Critical to the season of Advent is the sincere need to sing and praise God for the gift of Jesus that never loses its power and relevance in our lives. We sing because the songs of the season touch our hearts and we praise because we are captivated by the consuming love of God.

Never should we take Advent as a time to commercialize the birth of Jesus as many do who celebrate Santa Claus and the counterfeit meaning of Christmas. When we look at this season theologically, we would realize that Advent is a time to gain and not a time to lose. It is a time to grow and not a time to regress.

However, based on the commercialized notion of Christmas, more people overextend their credit, are made to feel guilty about purchasing gifts and have feelings of despair once the season is over. There is no sense of rejuvenation and revival of the spirit and there in no appreciation for the greatest gift that has ever been given.

This year, I urge you to get prepared to receive Jesus Christ afresh into your heart. I urge you to take serious your relationship with God and make God a greater priority in your life.

I urge you to spend less and give more. Give more love, give more service, give more joy and give more opportunities for people to forgive and be forgiven.

You might be surprised at what you experience if you are prepared and willing to receive Christ into your heart this Advent season.

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Advent season begs an important question: How prepared are you?

By DR. F. D. BURROWS SR., Ottawa First United Methodist Church

E-mail this story to a friend | Print this article | Enjoy the convenience of home delivery of The Ottawa Herald.

E-mail this story to a friend | Print this article |
Enjoy the convenience of home delivery of The Ottawa Herald.