Waiting ... 

Before Dan and I got married, my parents shared with him some things about me. One of them was how excitable I would get as birthdays, holidays and Christmas get near. I love these things. I love the build up and anticipation, but not so much the waiting.  As the event gets closer, I will get more and more excitable, to the point that when I was little, I wasn’t always told the specific day that we would be leaving to go on holiday!
 
Advent is a time of waiting. I have recently read the introduction to my Advent devotional and learnt a new word: Maranatha (Mar-uh-nath-uh). It means “the Lord has come” or “Lord, come.” This is what the excitement of Christmas should be about. We may feel that as we wait for Christmas and all the celebrations it takes a long time, but we don’t have to wait hundreds of years. 
 
We use Advent as a time to reflect and wait for the birth of Jesus, but he has already come - Maranatha - in a stable all those years ago. Under the bright shining star, Jesus was born. Each Christmas we celebrate this amazing news of hope. As we begin this Advent, let’s remember that in Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection we have a certain hope.
 
Prayer - Lord Jesus, thank you for this Advent season. In the coming weeks, help us to be constantly reminded of the true hope of Christmas. Give us thankful hearts as we spend these days waiting to celebrate your birth. Amen.

Photo by Levi Meir Clancy on Unsplash