Episode 003 – Making Your Own Personal Advent Reap
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I’m using this creative-commons image for my desktop wallpaper.
This episode details many practical steps in making this the most meaningful Christmas for yourself, by way of taking Advent seriously.
There are eight steps I recommend.
1) Pray that God enlightens you in areas you need to grow in. Part of this is to have a readiness to discard areas in your life that become a distraction from following God.
2) Invest in a solid Advent devotional. Check out the Office of Readings in The Liturgy of the Hours for some great sermons from the Church Fathers. Keep a sharp focus on the themes of WAITING, PATIENCE, HOPE, 2ND COMING, and LIGHT.
3) Move away from GIGO entertainment. GIGO means “garbage-in, garbage-out”. A lot of Christmas-oriented entertainment falls in this category, but so does a lot of what passes for TV nowadays.
4) Help those in need. Tithe, if you’ve never done so before. Give from your hearts to those in your community, or those internationally, who need your help. I particularly recommend Mercy Corps.
5) Get an Advent wreath. I would also recommend getting a virtual Advent wreath, for your desktop wallpaper, or an Advent app.
6) Create an Advent Music playlist. Build this playlist using both classic Advent hymns and contemporary praise songs that are built on Scriptures/Themes that are prevalent in the season.
7) Actively engage the Christmas movies you do watch. There are some great Christmas movies/stories well worth making a perrenial each and every year. Think of the takeaways from these stories, and apply them to your own Christmas walk. Even some of the sillier entries have a moral backbone well worth heeding.
8) Use social networks to encourage your walk. Actively seek out facebook groups/blogs that will have a reminder of the season.
It is my hope that by following these steps we can collectively prepare our hearts for Christmas.
What is your favorite Advent hymn or worship song? Please share it in the comments.