Advent is a season of waiting, but not just waiting. Advent is also a season of anticipation and preparation. Anticipation reminds us that we are waiting for something that is worth waiting for. Preparation reminds us that waiting is not idle time; there are things we can do to get ready for what we are waiting for.
There is much to gain when we pay attention to the songs of Advent—both those in the Scriptures and those in our hymnals. While we are preparing for the holidays, the songs help us prepare ourselves spiritually to celebrate Christ’s renewed and renewing presence in our lives.
The work of Advent is practical as well as spiritual. Like Mary’s preparation for the birth of Jesus, like John the Baptist’s preparation for the ministry of Jesus, our preparation for the coming of Christ summons us to action.
This year let the songs of Advent be your prayer and your call to action. In the words of “Awake! Awake, and Greet the New Morn” (ELW 242), “be strong and loving and fearless.”
This message is an excerpt from “The Songs of Advent” by Kathryn A. Kleinhans in the December 2017 issue of Gather magazine.
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