This is an early shout-out that the Christian season of Advent begins soon—on Sunday the 29th of November.
Rather than having Advent sneak up and find us unprepared, I’d like to encourage our readers to plan ahead to find spiritual meaning over the weeks leading up to Christmas. Plan now to fight against the prevailing Christmas culture of busyness so that you can more experience the grace of God in this special time of the year. Plan now to allow sufficient margin in your calendar and bank account that you are not too busy or too stressed to hear what God would like to say to your heart.
In this edition, Major Barbara Sampson—a self-confessed Christmas Grinch—sets the scene for us in the first of a threepart series. For those who already feel exhausted by even the thought of Christmas or who are worried it’s a season they can’t afford, I’d like to prescribe Barbara’s excellent series as an antidote. Rather than rail against the commercialism and trappings of Christmas, it’s possible to re-engage with its deeper meaning. To remind ourselves of what is central to Christmas —and what are its optional and even superfluous trappings.
Barbara reminds us that even if there are elements of Christmas we want to say ‘no’ to, there’s still plenty we can still say yes to. I love her reminder, for instance, that we can say yes to ‘the One who has taken on our fragility, our frailties, our failings. One who walks through the forest of our fears and frenzies, bringing healing, wholeness, restoration.’
As we prepare ourselves to say ‘yes’ to Christmas this year, we are reminded that this season is when God said ‘yes’ to us. To a world troubled by sin, hardship and disappointments, God sent his son as the light-giving and hope-filled solution. Given this, I suppose that when we think about ‘Advent’, we could even think about the word as shorthand for ‘advantageous’. Already I’m feeling more positive and grateful!
Christina Tyson
Editor