Jesus, the Son, in His humanity, showed the physical expression of the deep love the Father has for all humanity, including you and me. Jesus is the embodiment of this love. “For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Our world is going through troubling times. I have no idea what you may be going through this Christmas. But I do know one thing: Because Jesus came, there is hope.

God sees the potential; we trust him and help to begin the restoring and renovating process. There are hiccups along the way, minor repairs, easy patches, big tear downs, projects that seem to last for a long time, and projects that come together miraculously. You really feel like progress is being made and then WHAM, sewage backs up and you take several steps back. You wonder why you even started, but you roll up your sleeves and you (figuratively) start shoveling out the poop, wondering if you were even making progress to begin with. Months later, you are still at it and look up and realize: Wow God, you saw this masterpiece the entire time! You just asked us to be faithful. We give you the glory, God, because we didn’t see it. We saw work, steps backward, an impossible outcome but You saw the finished project.

In this time of waiting and anticipation, we are reassured that God is always with us.

In the Christian faith, the circle (or ring) represents the symbol of eternity and never-ending existence, as well as the everlasting and perfect love of God. The Advent wreath, with its five candles, represents the perfect gifts we receive from our Heavenly Father: faith, hope, joy, peace, and the unending love of God.

We wait for the Lord our God because He will reward our waiting with His gifts. Victory over sin and temptation, forgiveness that leads to eternal life, and a restored, permanent relationship with God and His promise to be with as always. But we need not spend any more time in the waiting room. It is all yours today through faith in Jesus.

At this time of the year, many churches offer a mid-week worship service as we anticipate Jesus’ birth and second coming. These services are often poorly attended, but our Lord invites us to accept with joy the invitation to come and worship him. God has done so many marvelous things, and when we consider all of what he has done it ought to be natural to say “Yes! Let’s go to the house of the LORD!”

Many families use Advent calendars to help children understand the concepts of faith and patience. With their 25 little numbered doors, pockets, or drawers, children countdown from December 1st to Christmas Day. These calendars can help people, not just children, grow in their anticipation of the day when we celebrate the first arrival of our long-promised Redeemer, God’s Son, Jesus.

Advent culminates at the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Our blessing in disguise. This little baby born in a simple stable is actually God’s solution for our captivity to sin and the law. We are now able to focus on the new life and freedom given to us through faith in our Savior.

We can feel alone, even in a large family. We may feel overlooked by those we love, whether parents, siblings, or spouse. We miss those who have left us, in death or broken relationships. During the holiday season, many people struggle with depression and anxiety leaving them feeling even more alone. But we are never alone.