Advent & The Suggestion

This Sunday is the new second Sunday of Advent. No, it really isn't but it should be. Most of my life I have embraced, Hope, Peace, Joy and Love thinking it's all we need. And yes it is, but maybe we need something more. It's that 'something' that gives us a word or two that prepare us for the other four words which have enveloped our Advent lives for centuries.

Last week I brought to you, a new word. A word that opened up new thoughts and possibilities wrapped up in something new and imaginable while embracing our past and it's traditions. The word was: LIGHT. What an amazing word that can and will change our whole outlook about Christmas surrounded by the Light of Christ. It's imagining what Mary must have seen that very moment she saw Jesus face glowing with His Father's radiance for the first time. It must be part of who we are on our faith journey when we realize that if we have Christ, we have all we need.

Which brings us to the second word I am purposing: BELIEVE. For too many years we have lost our focus & in many cases, the faith to believe in the literal Christ. We are asked so many times at this time of year to believe. The problem is, that focus has gone to someone or something else. Case in point; yesterday I saw a banner blazing across the store wall. It was saying 'Believe' and the logo was the silhouette of a sleigh. This was following an advertisement I heard on the radio which told us that we just need to 'believe' and we will get the gift we want. Mine would be a white 2021 Alpha Romeo. Not!

Here is what I know. I know that Jesus is real and His name is mentioned in Roman History. Oh, and yes it's definitely found in the writings of the disciples. Each of us needs to believe what we read in scripture. The bible is still the most read book in the world and we read it because we BELIEVE everything it says, including His birth in a stable and Him dying in our place for our sins. We BELIEVE the Shepherds heard Angels singing, Wise Men from another religion showing up with the three most important gifts ever given.

What more do we need to BELIEVE? We need to believe that Jesus came to give us the greatest gift of all and that is HIMSELF. We need to believe something beyond ourselves, something that doesn't live for gifts we forget about by New Years. We need to BELIEVE that the gift we need is the gift of letting Christ in our hearts because He is real, but more than that, He forgives us and for us that has to be the greatest gift of all.

Something to think about.

Rob