We are home from a long weekend away, reconnecting with extended church family from our sending church in Gainesville, FL. I am cleaning, and restocking items from suitcases, creating grocery lists for Thanksgiving meals and feeling that tender feeling creep over my whole being. Maybe you know the one. There is something in the air…underneath all of the lights and tensile, under all of the consumer junk that is flashed before our eyes urging us to buy, buy buy….. underneath the cookie exchanges and the overeating. That tender, new hopeful thing that is birthed every year, as God’s people remember who they are and in whom they are made and held together.
So, now we prepare, our hearts and minds with all the turkey blur. We traditionally set up our tree on Thanksgiving day, and I begin the Advent calender with the children. I did not grow up with a liturgical background, but somehow I LOVE the Advent tradition. I love what it does for me, and hopefully some of that slips off onto the kids. Maybe not, maybe they are just full of expectation for glorious gifts.
That’s okay. I expect the Holy Spirit to ignite a depth of love in them in due time, as he has done in me. I can’t explain it, but I truly am like a little 5 year old full of awe and wonder at this most glorious gift. I will probably post a bit less this next few weeks, and keep my flickr stocked full. There is so much to see and inhale in the natural and in the spirit that I am at a loss for words and can only respond with an artful response.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m just so glad you’re home.
I’m calling you today. You will TRIP when you hear what God did in our lives yesterday.
We truly have the most amazing thing to be thankful for this year. NO i’m not pregnant. =)
I am on pins and needles:-) We are leaving at 3:30 our time to go to buy the fish for the tank. We are all hopped up on fish tank goodness around here. Who would of thought a little 10 gallon tank would be so fun.
Talk to you soon…like this morning maybe.
You know I was thinking about this post while I was driving around today…
For the first time in a long time, I am really soaking up the Advent season. The hopefulness; the excitement; the waiting; the awesome reality of what God did and really how he did it. Such a big puzzle with little clues hidden throughout time; truly amazing. And it’s funny – this is the first year that I haven’t been caught up in the “christmas-i-ness” of Christmas. We don’t really have much money to buy presents so I am being creative. And even with the decorating – not that I am much of a decorator anyway – but I am so much more into just soaking the whole meaning of advent in…and it just nourishes my soul in ways that I can’t say I’ve had in quite a while. I’m so thankful…
And like I did with the reunion, I just really feel an excitement and eager anticipation. I feel like there’s more big stuff that God is doing that I really don’t have any ounce of a clue about, and it’s leaves me with that Christmas morning excited feeling; but rather than being excited about the gifts and the family, I’m so excited about the gift of Him and the amazing blessings in the Spirit of knowing Him. In words that sounds kinda trite, but the reality is that I am excited to see the spiritual work that God is doing…somewhere…and I can’t wait to open that present! What an awesome place to be…