{"id":8451,"date":"2003-12-10T22:31:00","date_gmt":"2003-12-11T03:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/?p=8451"},"modified":"2011-07-06T08:28:11","modified_gmt":"2011-07-06T13:28:11","slug":"3394","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2003\/12\/10\/3394\/","title":{"rendered":"Advent Devotion: The Pre-Christmas Present"},"content":{"rendered":"

CHICAGO, IL (December 10, 2003)\u00a0 – Covenant Communications is publishing\u00a0 several Advent articles taken from various church newsletters and email\u00a0 updates. This one, entitled “The Pre-Christmas Present” comes from\u00a0 Pamela Gibbs of Creekside Covenant Church, Redmond, Washington.<\/p>\n

“I am the light of the world” John said of Jesus (John 8:12).<\/p>\n
There is a prison building, now a tourist attraction in San Francisco,\u00a0 called Alcatraz. I remember one day when, as a teenager, my family and I\u00a0 toured the prison.<\/p>\n
After walking down aisles of bars and concrete floors, the tour guides\u00a0 gave us a glimpse of what it was like to be in solitary confinement.\u00a0 They herded us into a single cell while they spoke. Standing shoulder to\u00a0 shoulder, the main tour guide stepped out of the room for a moment and\u00a0 closed the door until all the light was gone. We all waited,\u00a0 expectantly, quietly; astonished by the absence of light for the few\u00a0 minutes it took before they opened the door again. Though I know it was\u00a0 just a few minutes, it seemed much longer.<\/p>\n
When the door finally opened, the light poured in, and people smiled and\u00a0 actually looked at each other for the first time during the tour.\u00a0 Laughing at their nervousness, they were all relieved to be in the light\u00a0 again. It was amazing how solitary that confinement was, even with other\u00a0 people around. The light made all the difference in the world.<\/p>\n
If you want to see what Jesus means in your life, just imagine a time\u00a0 without him. Have you ever had that time in your life? A time before\u00a0 Jesus existed for you? A time before you knew about the light of the\u00a0 world? Was it as dark as the cell I just described even though there\u00a0 were other people around? Imagine the time before Jesus was born. Where\u00a0 was the hope for the world? Where was the joy? Where was the focus on\u00a0 love and forgiveness? There really was a time before Jesus. A time when\u00a0 the world was waiting, expecting, and hoping.<\/p>\n
We celebrate Jesus’ birth on Christmas. But, the four weeks or Sundays\u00a0 before Christmas are called Advent (The term comes from the Latin word adventus<\/em>, which means coming or arrival. It is the beginning of\u00a0 the Christian calendar and a recognition of the time before Jesus was\u00a0 born. Advent is way for us to honor God for sending his son to a world\u00a0 that didn’t deserve him. And it is a time when we acknowledge our\u00a0 diligent and obedient waiting of his second coming.<\/p>\n
Each year, retailers try to make the holiday season a little longer.\u00a0 Advent gives us all a way to keep Jesus Christ at the center of our\u00a0 lives. It gives us a chance to begin or continue traditions that may be\u00a0 remembered way past the opening of presents.<\/p>\n
Advent celebrations began about the fifth century and originally\u00a0 included solemn reflection, penitence, and fasting. Since that time,\u00a0 there have been many ways to celebrate Advent. Traditions usually\u00a0 include doing something every night or every week before Christmas. Some\u00a0 celebrations incorporate prayers, scripture readings, or songs. Many\u00a0 traditions include symbols that remind us of different parts of the\u00a0 Christmas story or of the time when the world was waiting for Jesus.\u00a0 Here are a few of the traditions I found. If you don’t have an Advent\u00a0 tradition, perhaps you could use one of these:<\/p>\n
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