What are you waiting for?
When you hear the word “Advent,” what comes to mind?
As I grew up, Advent filled my mind with colorful stained-glass windows, giant archways, and formal mass celebrations. I honestly thought Advent was something only our Catholic brothers and sisters did. I knew it had to do with Christmas, and I couldn’t tell you much beyond that. You see, I grew up in a Christian tradition that basically shunned other Christian traditions.
Over time, I came to understand more about Advent, but I didn’t experience it firsthand until I came to Hillspring. Now, when I hear the word Advent, I get excited. My head becomes filled with images of our Hillspring family singing songs and lifting our candles during our Night of 1000 Candles which marks the beginning of Advent for us. I am warmed by memories of the many people who have read the scripture passages and lit the candles each of the following Sundays over the years, moving us ever closer to the coming of Emmanuel, God with us! And finally, my thoughts move to our amazing Christmas Eve Candle Light Worship and the faces of the many incredible people who have become my family!
Needless to say, Advent has become a powerful tradition in my life, connecting me to my Hillspring family and shifting my focus to the coming of God’s Chosen One, Jesus!
This year, we wanted our entire church family to have the opportunity to experience and celebrate Advent together in a different way than years past. First, we wanted our family to know that many different Christians and Christian traditions celebrate Advent. It connects us all and collectively prepares us for the coming of God’s Messiah, our Lord Jesus! Because of this, we decided to follow the Liturgical Scripture Readings followed by millions of our Christian brothers and sisters.
Second, we wanted our Hillspring Family to lead and connect us on our journey toward the manger. To do this, we have different Hillspring families and individuals doing the Advent reading each day! These readings will be available on our Hillspring Facebook page, our Hillspring Website on the study guide page, and our Hillspring Study Guide Facebook group.
Finally, we wanted you to have the opportunity to prepare for the coming of Emmanuel (God with us) on Christmas by joining in the reading. Each day of Advent will have a Scripture reading (done by Hillspring Family members), a comment or insight into the reading, and a question for you to reflect on as you move toward the manger!
May our 2021 Advent season remind us that God is with us, may it connect us as a church family, and may it remind us that we are linked to our larger church family around the world!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Justin