For hundreds of years, Christians have referred to the four weeks leading up to Christmas Day as the Advent season. As believers, we can use this season in all of its hecticness as a pause for reflection as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come.”
Bonhoeffer refers to not only reflecting on the meaning of Christ’s birth, but also looking ahead to the second coming of Jesus. It’s in this backward-yet-forward reflection that we can hold fast to the true meaning of Christmas while gazing with anticipation to the return of our Savior in all of his glory.
To guide us through the Advent season, which this year begins on Sunday, December 3, and ends on Sunday, December 24, we’ll focus on four reflections as part of this study. The accompanying videos will dive deeper into the keywords from each week.
Sarah Hamaker is a national speaker and award-winning author who loves writing romantic suspense books “where the hero and heroine fall in love while running for their lives.” She’s also a wife, mother of two teenagers and two college students, a therapeutic foster mom, and podcaster (The Romantic Side of Suspense podcast). She coaches writers, speakers and parents with an encouraging and commonsense approach. Visit her online at sarahhamakerfiction.com.