Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. – Romans 15:13

This year, because of anomalies in the calendar and cycles of the moon and maybe what 6th Century monk Dionysius Exiguus had for breakfast the day he invented The Christian Year, December 1 also happens to be the first Sunday in Advent.

The celebration of Advent is outlined by the four Sundays preceding Christmas. Traditionally, followers of Jesus use these days to focus on the hope, the peace, the love and the joy the coming of the Christ child brings into this world.

Today the entire Christmas season is set into context through the idea of hope, the birth of Jesus, “The promise of the Ages.”

For me (and I wrote an entire book around this idea) the observation of Advent is a surefire way to do Christmas right. It’s easy to get so caught up in the distractions (decorating, sending cards, organizing events, preparing food, buying gifts, worrying about spending too much, getting all the details right – and more…) to the extent that, come December 25, we are not in the right frame of mind to receive the newborn king.

Lost in the artificial light

Christmas according to Hallmark movies and the holiday shopping industry can be tough to keep up with. We have seen that giant neon star and it won’t lead anyone to a displaced Middle Eastern family giving birth in an animal shelter under the thumb of an oppressive regime (not in Bethlehem two thousand years ago during the Roman census nor today behind some massive barbed-wire and concrete wall).

It’s the artificial light that stops us from seeing the real stars. The ones we follow tend to lead us along Main Street and all the way to the mall, or some glitzy website… anywhere but the simple stable behind the inn where Jesus is resting in Mary and Joseph’s arms and a bunch of noisy shepherds threaten to wake him up with their rambunctious joy.

So keeping Advent, beginning today, is a beautiful way to set our initial trajectory in the right direction. And when we take the first few steps on the correct path then it’s a lot easier to hit the target downrange.

I don’t know about you, but I believe “the best Christmas ever” is a worthy target. It looks like this: Hope. Peace. Love. Joy.

• HOPE for a troubled world (Jeremiah 29:11).
• The PEACE of Christ that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).
• For God so LOVES this world that he continues to give (John 3:16-17).
• May the God of hope fill you with all JOY and peace in believing (Romans 15:13).

If we make the commitment now just maybe, this year, we really will experience the true meaning of Christmas. I’m going to pray now if you would like to join me:

“Loving God, please be with each one of us as we make this commitment to keep Advent, and to focus on your hope, peace, love and joy to the extent that we are ready, come Christmas Eve, to present ourselves at the manger and receive the gift of Jesus. Amen!”