This Sunday 1st December we commenced the Season of Advent.
The time of Advent is the four week period of preparation for the season of Christmas. Advent begins the cycle of the Liturgical Year and focuses on the coming of the Lord. The first weeks offer a vision of the future, looking to the end of time when Christ will come again. The final weeks point more specifically to the birth of Christ. Christ, the promised one, is awaited with joyful expectation. The First Sunday of Advent follows the final Sunday of Ordinary Time and the season concludes on Christmas Eve.
The celebration of Advent takes place on the four Sundays prior to Christmas, follows four weekly themes; hope, peace, joy and love and ends on Christmas Eve.
During Advent, we remember our reason to hope; we are assured in a most overwhelming way that God always keeps his promises; for on that first Christmas, He sent his only Son Jesus, the long-awaited fulfillment of God's promise of salvation. Jesus was not born into comfort and security.
A Prayer for Advent: Preparing Our Hearts for Christ’s Coming
Heavenly Creator
As we enter this holy season of Advent,
we turn our hearts toward You with longing and hope.
We thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ,
who came to dwell among us, bringing light to the darkness and salvation to the world.
Help us to prepare not only for the celebration of His birth but also for His glorious return. May we live each day in readiness, with hearts that are watchful and spirits that are awake. Teach us to let go of distractions and seek the eternal, setting our sights on Your kingdom above all else.
Lord, cleanse us from things that make us sad and angry,
renew our faith, and fill us with the joy of Your promises.
In this season of waiting, help us to walk in love, share Your peace, and serve others as Christ has shown us.
May our lives reflect the hope we have in Him, and may we be found faithful when He comes again in glory.
Come, Lord Jesus, and make all things new.
In Your holy name, we pray.
Amen.
