Advent in Me

I did not grow up in a religious tradition in which Advent was observed. Christmas was certainly a major holiday, though in retrospect the lead up to the holiday was mostly obscured by the commercial and material chaos of the season. It was a whole lot more about Santa and Madison Avenue than it was about the birth of Jesus. I hold no judgment around that. And I am grateful to have been introduced to the full Advent season as a result of coming to the Unity teachings.

Advent literally means “coming to.” Advent is an invitation to not only acknowledge the birth of the historical Jesus but also to create a personal opening in which the Christ Presence may be born in me and in you. That birth is radical and transformative in scope. It requires that we step back from the busyness and center in an atmosphere of inner stillness. It requires a setting of priorities and even of boundaries. While the material and cultural aspects of Christmas are beautiful and potentially connecting they can also wreak havoc in our sense of peace. We can become so over stimulated and energy-drained that we lose any notion of the deeper meaning of the season.

I love this season of Light. I love the music, the decorations, the gathering together, and the child-like anticipation. And I love even more the introspection, the added internal focus and inquiry, the symbolic seeing and the contemplative birthing. I am all about celebrating the contributions of the historical man. And I am even more about allowing the same Christ Presence to be born in me.

That is my primary purpose this holiday season. It is my priority. I will not allow myself to be so distracted by the culture that I miss out on Christ. I am creating space in my within. I am ready.

Advent in me. Be born in me.