Adventageous

Advent + advantageous = Adventageous
There, you see I did not misspell my title.  I made up a word to make a point.  Advantageous means "giving and advantage" or "of use or benefit."  That is what Advent should be for the followers of Christ - advantageous.  For those of us who are life long Baptists, not familiar with candle lit, liturgical, historical church events, Advent is one we can embrace with out fear of giving up our spontaneous, Spirit led, saved by grace not by works style of worship and living.  Christmas, even for us, is about traditions.

My wife and I (along with some others) have been having "Baptist" conversations about Advent.  What is it?  What are we supposed to do in it?  Why should we do it?  I had thought about blogging on what I have learned, but after thinking it through, it didn't sound too exciting.  If you do your own research on the Internet you will find a wide variety of practices and changes in Advent through history.  By the way there was no Advent class when I went to seminary.  I doubt there is one now, so we are all kind of at the mercies of Google.

What I have gotten personally out of what I have learned is that Advent should be advantageous to us - of use or benefit.  It should do something to our heart and mind and attitude.  That is more important than what candle we light and why.  The best thing that I have found for me personally is this quote from Jan L Richardson from her book, Night Visions: Searching the Shadows of Advent and Christmas

The season of Advent means there is something on the horizon the likes of which we have never seen before...What is possible is not to see it, to miss it, to turn just as it brushes past you.  And you begin to grasp what it was you missed, like Moses in the cleft of the rock, watching God's back fade in the distance.  So stay. Sit.  Linger.  Tarry.  Ponder. Wait.  Behold.  Wonder.  There will be time enough for running.  For rushing.  For worrying. For pushing.  For now, stay.  Wait.  Something is on the horizon.

That is what I want Advent to be.  That would be advantageous and be something of use or benefit to me.  I hope it will be to you too.

For the journey...

Tim