We are in the home stretch of Advent. Christmas is so close we can all nearly taste it. But resist!
I took part in a cookie swap earlier this week and all those mouth-watering varieties are calling my name. Ok, I’ve sampled a few. But I’m done. I’m holding out for the big event. They will taste all the sweeter on Christmas Eve. The waiting makes the celebration that much more dramatic, reverent and thrilling. It’s almost party time, folks—one of the biggest feast days of our Church. If you’ve ever wondered why we collectively bow our heads during the recitation of the Nicene Creed, it’s because we are recognizing our belief in the most fundamental mystery of Christianity: That in Jesus Christ, God actually became man, born of a woman by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the Incarnation, the most sacred moment in all of human history. That is why we require some serious prep time.
There is no more dangerous or disgusting habit than that of celebrating Christmas before it comes, as I am doing in this article. It is the very essence of a festival that it breaks upon one brilliantly and abruptly, that at one moment the great day is not and the next moment the great day is. -GK Chesterton
We are nearing the end of the waiting period. If you’re looking for some inspiration on how to make the last moments of preparation count, check out my recent interview. I took part in the Outside the Walls podcast with TL Putnam where we talked about our efforts to make Advent more meaningful. What a fun experience! We kvetch in depth about my earlier blog post Advent Life Hacks.
Check out the link to the interview below and let me know your thoughts.
https://www.outsidethewalls.com/e/214-advent-life-hacks-mary-jo-gerd/
In the meantime, may the impending great feast day of the Nativity of our Lord be one that strikes with sudden brilliance and has a lasting impact on each and every one of us.
*Photo by Julian Dufort on Unsplash
LATE FOR CHURCH 
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