With Great Anticipation: Advent

Thursday afternoon, we loaded up and buckled seat belts, our bellies full from sweet potatoes and honey baked ham, the boys sweaty from hours of side lawn football with cousins. And we headed down my aunt's long country driveway.

Our close to Thanksgiving 2010.

I looked at Brent and clapped my hands with hushed applause - "Its Christmas time!"

Hello, my name is Becky Crenshaw. And I love Christmas.

Love it.

I mean LOVE IT.

And the more I grow in love with the Lord, the more my affection grows.

My affection for this baby who changed the world.

This baby who changed my world.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. Isaiah 9:2

That was me. Dwelling in a land of, not just darkness, but deep darkness. Light now shines.

Glory to God.

Can you relate?

So this Christmas I am praying.

Praying for the Lord to open my mind. I'm asking for more insight and revelation into what exactly happened because of this baby.

Jesus.

I anticipate Him.

And I want my boys to anticipate, as well.

I don't want them just anticipating gifts and stockings. Although I love all of that, too.

I want them to anticipate the celebration of Christ''s birth.

Hence, ADVENT.

Anticipating the arrival of Christ.

Today is the first Sunday of Advent. ThrivingFamily.com is offering amazing material to read with your children each day leading up to Christmas.

I invite you to join the Crenshaw's for Advent this year. What an honor it would be!

For more info click here.

The ADVENT calendar - from Thriving Family Magazine.



Advent, which begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, is a time devoted to waiting, as believers anticipate the hope that comes in the form of a Savior. The name Advent is derived from the Latin word adventus, which means "arrival." This season anticipates the arrival of Christ! Advent not only looks back to the birth of Christ more than 2,000 years earlier, it also remembers Christ's presence here with us now, and it anticipates His promised return.
Even families who do not observe Advent at church can discover a more meaningful, more Christ-centered Christmas season by observing these traditions at home. If you would like to celebrate Advent with your family this year, consider using the Thriving Family Advent calendar to make these time-honored traditions and deep spiritual truths come alive.

November 28: First Sunday of Advent

Bible readings: Isaiah 9:2; John 8:12

One of the most treasured traditions of the Advent season is the Advent wreath. Made of evergreens, the wreath includes five candles. You can make this wreath with your children out of live or plastic evergreen branches by fastening them into a circle with green twisty ties or lightweight wire. Then place four candleholders and taper candles within the greenery. Three of the candles should be purple — although some churches now substitute a blue candle to represent the church for one of the purple candles — and the fourth is rose-colored. In the center of the wreath's circle, place a thick, white candle. Why these colors are important will be explored later in the Advent season.

At dinner, light one of the purple candles. This lighting of the first candle signifies the beginning of the Advent season. Extinguish the flame when dinner is over. Every night this week, light the same candle at dinner. The next purple candle won't be lit until the second Sunday of Advent (a new candle being lit each Sunday), and the final white candle isn't lit until Christmas Day.

Not only will this Advent wreath be a daily reminder of those who historically waited for the fulfillment of God's promises, it may also be a meaningful holiday tradition and a seasonal decoration for your family.