Seasons of the Church Year,
We CHRISTIANS do differently.
We see the world develop and go after "holy-days" with all the money and gimmicks the world can offer. There is nothing holy about it all.
The best part is that all of society's worker-bees get to have some time off to rest, relax, play, visit, and see friends and family members. And, for that we DO give thanks.
Here at the Order, we try to redeem the time for The LORD'S purposes and for HIS+ Kingdom. Some of our friends are fasting during this time off. Some are in intense prayer.
We keep "holy-day" with Christian friends, and turn our thoughts and efforts towards The LORD instead of towards the world's parades, games, fashions, and activities.
We try to keep in mind the Church Calendar rather than the world's calendar for these days. Thus, we use our Thanksgiving time to start our Advent wreath and season of preparation for the remembrance of His+ first coming.
Advent, then, becomes a season when we focus on repentance MINGLED WITH JOY.... this joy being that our MESSIAH has come, so many years ago, to take away our sins, to always be with us, our EMMANUEL.
This year, we will be doing a small series of repentance Scriptures to prepare our hearts, as we remember His+ first coming. This is in hopes that we may truly be prepared for HIS+ SECOND COMING, Bless GOD !
Advent colors, by the way, are NOT red and green... but blue, which signifies the Birth of the CHRIST child. Thus, you will not find any red at our hermitage during this season.
For those of us with children, we like to use a Religious Advent Calendar to open a window and read a Scripture. Another activities is to have an EMPTY MANGER and put a straw in it for each kind deed, each charitable thought, each victory over temptation, and each repentance during this season. Thus we do something tangible to prepare our hearts as we "build" the bed of straw in the manger for the coming Christ child in our nativity set. It's a wonderful time, especially for young ones... or those young in heart.
Yes, we Christians do things differently than the world.
I pray you will join us in your hearts and home around the Advent Season of repentances and lighting the Advent Candles in the Advent wreath. May this time be most special to you, as you use it to draw closer and closer unto CHRIST, the only Light of this dark, dark world.
