Advent Week 1: Adore Him

“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” - Luke 2:7, NRSV

Advent: a beautiful time to devote our hearts to God as we await the birth of Christ.

Advent is celebrated during the four weeks prior to Christmas. Using the letters of Advent (maybe this is the preschool teacher in me), we will dive deeper into how the Advent season can bring us closer to God. Each week, we will discuss how the letters of the word remind us of an opportunity to grow closer to the Lord.

Here is a sneak peak at what is to come.

This week is the first week of Advent. The “A” in Advent reminds us to “Adore Him”.

One of my favorite Christmas songs is “O Come All Ye Faithful”. In this song there is the famous lyric, “O Come Let Us Adore Him”. When Mary gave birth to Jesus, they were in a stable, “. . . because there was no place for them in the inn” (Lk 2:7). It is hard to imagine what this was like for Mary. While we cannot change the circumstances of Christ’s birth 2,000 years ago, we can consider this: have we made enough room in our hearts for Jesus this Advent season?

This first week of Advent, I invite you to adore Jesus as you wait for the celebration of His birth. There was no room for Jesus to be born in an inn, but we can make room for Him in our hearts. We can do this by adoring Him in our homes, workplaces, and places of worship. Adoring Christ is placing Him at the center of our lives. Jesus is indeed the reason for the season! On our journey this Advent season, we are invited to place Jesus at the center of our hearts.

Let us adore Him this first week of Advent.

Make sure to check back for the next three weeks for a continuation of this series! Week 2 we will reflect on devoting ourselves to Him and voicing our concerns. Week 3 we will discuss the importance of enjoying and naming all that He has given us. Week 4, we will reflect on trust as we approach Christmas day.

In Christ,

Lauren

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All scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible

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