I’ve been posting a Scripture reading and prayer for every day in Advent, and a question from a commenter alerted me that not all of my readers know what Advent is, though ‘I’ve written about the meaning of Advent before.
Advent is the season of the Christian year leading up to Christmas. It is a time to penitence and preparation for the Lord’s coming. We actually celebrate three advents during this time:
- The advent of Jesus’ birth when He came to earth more than 2000 years ago, and
- The advent of Jesus coming into our own heart when we accepted Him as our Lord and Savior, and
- The advent of Jesus’ return at the Second Coming at the end of time.
Many Christians practice the tradition of lighting candles on an Advent wreath each day of the Advent season. My church has a short liturgy at the beginning of the Communion service to light the Advent candles each week of the season. On the first Sunday in Advent (which is also the first day of the Christian year), one candle is lit, and a candle is added each of the four Sundays in Advent. On Christmas, the Christ candle in the middle of the wreath is lit. This is a simple way to prepare our hearts for the arrival of the Lord.
Often Christians take part in some additional daily devotion during Advent. I am posting a Scripture and a prayer for each day in Advent. You are invited to join me in these short Advent devotions.
I’ve created Scripture/prayer cards that have a Bible verse on one side and a prayer on the other. You can download a PDF file and print the cards on your own computer printer. Print the Scriptures on one side of the page (business card sheets work well) and the prayers on the other side, then separate or cut the pages into individual cards. You can carry these cards with you to read for a brief moment of devotion in the midst of a busy day.
The download of the cards is my gift to you with the prayer that we both focus on the meaning of the season this Advent … and prepare for the coming of the Lord at Christmas and at the end of time.
photo credit: goforchris