Getting Prepared

I love Christmas. I really do.

This morning we almost didn't go to church. Trey and I didn't have Sunday school because so many people are out of town. Also, he and I both have colds. Also, it's raining and cold and gross outside. We slept past the 8:00 service (our usual), and I just don't love the contemporary service at 9:30 (it's not my thing, no hard feelings if it's yours), so we almost didn't go.

But I'm so glad we did.

The sermon was titled "A People Prepared." I was reminded that last year for Advent season I challenged myself to write something reflective of the season every day. You can find those posts here (scroll to the bottom to get to December 1st). But I've hardly thought about what I might do to honor the season this year. I haven't thought much about getting prepared for the arrival of the Christ child.

If I'm being honest, the past several months have probably raised more questions in my faith than anything. Don't get me wrong, I am firm and true in my belief of Christ as the Savior of the world and my eternity in heaven because of that fact. But I've questioned a lot. I've questioned what Jesus would do about Syrian refugees, about terror in the world, who he would support as a leader of our country and what really qualifies a person to do that job (would he insist that only a Christian is qualified? should that even be a talking point of a presidential candidate?), and on and on.

Other people seem so sure of themselves on issues like these. I think I've read scripture references (mostly on social media) that support both sides of every issue, and it feels like everyone is 100% certain they are right and that God agrees with them. And I'm still just baffled most of the time. I've wondered if maybe my faith isn't as strong as these people who are so certain when it comes to world issues.

Enter this excerpt from this morning's sermon notes: "Advent doesn't depend on our faith. It's about God's faithfulness."

What a good word.

My God IS faithful. All the time.

And now I am inspired to create a plan for my Advent this year. I want to share a couple of options I've found.

First, there is the phenomenal scripture writing plan from my friend Shannon. She posts one every month, and this month someone has even translated it to Spanish. You can find it here on her web site if you're interested.

This Advent study popped up on my Facebook feed just as I sat down to write this post (no kidding). It's from New Life Church in B/CS, which is led by parents of some of the kids at my school. I haven't read it all in detail, but it's definitely a good option.

I've got a little more than 24 hours to get my plan together.

I love Christmas.