Advent, Wonder, and Peace

 Hello! Merry early holidays! 😊

During the Advent season, my church does a devotional, where each day is written by someone from church. 

This year they asked me to write a couple, so I did. The overall theme for the whole Advent series this year is wonder, which seems so fitting to me. Wonder speaks to the bigness of God; the fact that we can't understand everything He's doing, but whatever it is, it's good. It's that awestruck moment that catches your breath away for a moment, when you catch a true glimpse of beauty and glory.

Like seeing a leaf trimmed with frost crystals, or a rainbow refracted in a dewdrop, or a golden sunset reflected on the creek. The little things that God sets in front of us, that reveal bits of Himself.

The first devotional I wrote was on Peace.

It came out on the church's Advent podcast a couple of days ago, so now I feel free to post it publicly, hahaha. It's not a spoiler anymore.

Anyway feel free to listen to the podcast, but if that's not your thing, here's what I wrote:

The Wonder of Peace

I love traditions. There's just something about the comfort of falling into a routine and being able to be fully in the moment, because you know exactly what's coming next. There's no worry about what each moment may hold, and no pressure to make any plans or decisions.

My family's Christmas Eve ritual is one of my favorite traditions. I remember being a small child, and running all through the house to collect every candle my brother Tristan and I could find. Mom and Dad would get out the oil lamps, because we probably would've spilled or broken them.

We'd gather all of them in the living room and light every single one. Tristan and I would excitedly compete for the privilege of turning off the big lights.

And then ...

We would all sit quietly and watch the dancing flames, until Dad would start, "And it came to pass, in those days..." 

We would all join in: "...that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed," and together our family would recite Luke 2 from memory, still watching the flickering lights. I can't describe that feeling of absolute contentment and stillness and amazement. In between the big meal and the exciting presents, we would all pause to let the truth sink in- that God really came and He was a baby, just like we each were, at one point. I don't remember all the gifts I got over the years, or all the delicious dinners. But I do remember pausing to reflect, to be still and know what Christmas is about. That feeling comes over me afresh every Christmas Eve- the peace and wonder of the Presence of God.