Our journey of faith is a constant preparation to receive Jesus Christ every day, and to receive Him when He comes again. The season of Advent is a season of preparation. The word Advent is derived from the Latin word adventus, which means, “coming”, referring to the coming of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Why is preparation so vital in our faith journey? Because if we are not prepared, we will not receive Jesus Christ. The Israelites were waiting for their Messiah, however, when Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, the Incarnate, came to them, most of them did not receive Him nor recognise Him. Jesus Christ comes to us every day, every moment of our lives. If we are not prepared, we too will fail to receive Him.

Christmas is not about partying, decorating, buying, stressing, gift wrapping, planning, baking, carol singing, etc. Christmas is all about Jesus Christ. Think about it, what is Christmas, without Christ? Nothing! However, with Christ, every day is Christmas. Advent helps us to prepare, to welcome Jesus Christ in our lives. Advent is about hopeful waiting, not the kind of waiting on Christmas morning to unwrap our gifts, but an eager waiting to receive the Lord of All, the King of Glory, our Lord God Almighty. It is not just hopeful waiting, but a joyful anticipation. It is not just the joy of the festivity, but joy that comes from knowing Jesus, worshipping Him, exalting Him, and dwelling in His presence for eternity. It’s not just some preparation, like how we prepare sweets and the Christmas banquet, but this is a preparation to welcome Jesus Christ into our heart, into our lives, to become one with Christ.

The pandemic has made life challenging for many people. The social distancing, lockdowns, restrictions, and quarantine has necessitated us to focus on the essential requirements of our survival. It has also provided us the opportunity to prepare and draw closer to Jesus. I call it the providence from God. It’s like a pruning process, where the Lord God is the gardener, and prunes out everything that hinders our spiritual growth. Sometimes, we are so caught up with our life that we miss the significance of living. We get caught up in the motion of doing things that we lose the essence of our being human. The pandemic has given us the opportunity to reflect and pray, to evaluate the course of our faith journey.

We can be busy like Martha, caught up with too many things to do, that we miss out on Jesus, or we can be like Mary, drop everything unessential and draw closer to Jesus. 38 Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42 there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:38-42 NRSV).

Our faith journey will have many distractions along the way, which can hinder us from listening to Jesus, knowing Him, receiving Him, and even loving Him. It’s only when Jesus is the centre of our life, we can draw closer to Him. Advent prepares us to receive Jesus Christ, it prepares us to put Christ back into Christmas. Last but not the least, Advent is also about being watchful and vigilant. No one knows the hour of the coming of Jesus Christ, therefore, we must be watchful and vigilant in prayer.

Advent is preparing to receive JESUS CHRIST with:

Hopeful Waiting

Joyful Anticipation

Diligent Preparation

Vigilant in Prayer

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